Bureau Releases Report on Competition in Canada’s Airline Industry

20 June 2025 – OTTAWA, ONT.—Captain Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) Canada, issued the following statement yesterday after the Competition Bureau released their report “Cleared for take-off: Elevating airline competition,” which makes recommendations to the government on creating what it believes are the right conditions for competition in Canada’s airline industry.

“Unfortunately, the Bureau’s focus on prioritizing competition within Canadian aviation policy is far too narrow in scope to take into consideration the broader realities and existing challenges of Canada’s aviation sector. Furthermore, competition is not a synonym for affordable air travel. We believe that Canada’s resources should be directed at pursuing the policies with a real chance of strengthening our airlines for the benefit of the Canadian economy and its passengers.

“The Bureau’s recommendation to work with other countries to remove foreign competition restrictions to allow for foreign airlines to fly domestic service within Canada, known as cabotage, is a lose-lose proposition that sells out Canadians by forfeiting the air sovereignty that connects our country and exports many of the benefits of Canadian-owned and operated enterprises. Such a scheme would enable foreign airlines to cherry-pick money-generating routes at the expense of less profitable regional connections that bind our country and are the backbone of the Canadian economy.

“ALPA Canada strongly believes that permitting foreign airlines to conduct cabotage operations in Canada—in any way, shape, or form—is impractical, unwise, and places Canadian carriers at a competitive disadvantage while displacing Canadian workers from high value jobs. Canadians must see this report for what it’s doing: undermining Canadian jobs, businesses, and our fundamentally shared national interests.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 79,000 pilots at 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org 

April 8, 2025 – OTTAWA, ONT.—As the voice of over 95 percent of Canada’s professional, unionized pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), is calling on all of Canada’s federal parties to commit to reforming the country’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)  in light of recent government approval granted to WestJet Inc. to hire foreign pilots through the program.

“Our Association plays a vital role in ensuring the safety, reliability, and efficiency of Canada’s aviation sector. We advocate for policies that protect pilots, improve working conditions, and enhance the overall stability of the industry,” said Capt. Tim Perry, ALPA Canada president. “The recent government approval granted to WestJet Inc. to hire temporary foreign pilots at WestJet Encore through the TFWP raises significant red flags regarding the program.

“The Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process under the TFWP is wholly inadequate and lacks any consultation and engagement with the unions representing the employees impacted by the hiring of TFWs. Consideration of the impact on unionized workers employed under terms set out through collective bargaining is necessary and should be a required component of the LMIA process,” continued Perry.

ALPA urges all parties to commit to a review of the TFWP, with the goal of reforming the LMIA process to recognize and place importance on input from labour and require meaningful and robust consultation with the unions that represent impacted employees.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 79,000 pilots at 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org

March 17, 2025

QUÉBEC CITY, QUE.—Today, Sunwing Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), gathered inside Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) to call on WestJet Airlines to reverse its decision to close the YQB base, citing the severe economic and cultural impact it will have on the community.

In 2022, the WestJet Group announced a deal to buy Sunwing Airlines and Sunwing Vacations. The acquisition closed in May 2023. WestJet subsequently announced operational changes as part of the acquisition, including the closure of the YQB base, with the pilots being transferred to Montreal.

“WestJet purchased Sunwing with the intention of expanding services in eastern Canada and increasing vacation offerings from regional hubs,” said Capt. Mark Taylor, chair of the Sunwing ALPA Master Executive Council. “Closing or relocating the YQB base undermines this corporate strategy and the company’s own stated goals. WestJet must understand the economic impact closing this base will have throughout the Québec City region.”

The YQB base creates wealth in the region, supports local businesses, and contributes to Québec’s overall economic growth. As a Canadian airline operating in Québec, losing the YQB base could especially damage WestJet’s image among the Francophone community. 

“Keeping the Québec City base open maintains a certain expectation of service level as Sunwing transitions to WestJet,” Taylor added. “Having local crews means quicker responses in cases of mechanical issues, crew illness, or staffing shortage problems, which is beneficial for the airline.”

No official date has been released for the closure, but WestJet has stated it will be in the spring of 2025.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 79,000 pilots at 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org 

Ottawa, Ont. – February 21, 2025 — Today, as Canada’s Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Ministers of Transport gather for their annual meeting to discuss our nation’s most pressing transportation challenges, Canada’s air traffic controllers and airline pilots are calling on the Ministers to take decisive action to strengthen—not roll back—critical safety protections for air travel.

Nick von Schoenberg, President of the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association (CATCA), and Captain Tim Perry, President of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Canada, are asking Ministers to prioritize the recommendations of our comprehensive White Paper on Canadian aviation safety, Charting a Flight Path for the Future of Canadian Aviation,which outlines how our current system requires focused attention and resources to remain safe and sustainable. Canada, along with its provincial and territorial partners, must prioritize measures essential to aviation safety.

“Canadian aviation has long been recognized for its high safety standards. We cannot afford to weaken safety measures, such as our Flight Time and Duty Time regulations, in pursuit of cost-cutting or convenience. Aviation safety should never be compromised,” said Capt. Tim Perry.

ALPA and CATCA are also calling on the Ministers to publicly commit to workers— and more importantly, to the Canadian public—that they will not roll back critical aviation safety measures in favour of increasing operators’ bottom lines. At the conclusion of the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Transport Ministers’ meeting, we will be looking for specific language in the Ministerial Communique, signed by all Ministers, which affirms the collective will to improve aviation safety.

“The safety of passengers, crews, and all Canadians depends on robust, evidence-based regulations that prioritize safety,” said von Schoenberg. “Work intensification and fatigue remain serious concerns in air traffic control operations. Ministers must demonstrate leadership and work together with all stakeholders to ensure a system that is resilient, well-staffed, and safe for all.”

The International Civil Aviation Organization’s 2023 audit of Canada’s aviation system has already provided a blueprint for what needs to be improved. Canada used to be among the top 10 performing countries but has now received a score of just 65%.

About ALPA and CATCA

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 79,000 pilots at 42 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit alpa.org or follow us on X @WeAreALPA and @ALPACanada.

The Canadian Air Traffic Control Association (CATCA) represents Canada’s air traffic controllers, who ensure the safe and efficient movement of aircraft in Canadian airspace.

4-year deal provides pay raises, improves work rules, and retirement benefits

15 September 2024 – TORONTO, ONT.— The Air Canada Master Executive Council (MEC) of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), representing more than 5,400 Air Canada pilots, voted to approve a Tentative Agreement (TA) on modified terms for their Collective Agreement. If ratified, the TA will generate an approximate additional $1.9B of value for Air Canada pilots over the course of the agreement. Ratification requires approval by a majority of the voting membership, who will soon receive the Tentative Agreement for review.

“While it has been an exceptionally long road to this agreement, the consistent engagement and unified determination of our pilots have been the catalyst for achieving this contract,” said First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA MEC. “After several consecutive weeks of intense round-the-clock negotiations, progress was made on several key issues including compensation, retirement, and work rules. This agreement, if ratified by the pilot group, would officially put an end to our outdated and stale decade-old, ten-year framework.”

Visit aircanadapilots.ca for up-to-date information.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 78,000 pilots at 41 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org or follow us on Twitter @ALPAPilots.

August 30, 2024-TORONTO—On Tuesday, more than 2,000 Air Canada pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), stood together across the country in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Winnipeg to mark the end of their federal conciliation period . The pilots have yet to reach a deal on a new collective agreement with Air Canada management. As of now, there are no planned meetings between the negotiating parties. At the conclusion of the 21-day cooling-off period, the pilots will have the legal right to strike after issuing a 72-hour strike notice.

Pilots from Air Canada and other airlines showed their strength, unity, and resolve as they continued to ask Air Canada to show the pilots their value in the form of a contract that brought them in line with their industry counterparts. 

“It is nearly a year since our stale and outdated contract expired,” said First Officer Charlene Hudy, Air Canada ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC) chair, during the event. “We want to reach an agreement with Air Canada to avert a strike, and although we made some progress in conciliation, management continues to force us closer to a strike position by not listening to our most pressing needs at the negotiating table regarding fair compensation, respectable retirement benefits, and quality-of-life improvements.”

Last week, Air Canada pilots voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike-authorization ballot. With 98 percent of members participating, 98 percent of voters elected to authorize union leaders to call a strike, if necessary, to achieve a new collective agreement with Air Canada.

“Flight disruptions are never an ideal outcome for our passengers or any pilot; that’s why our primary goal is to reach an agreement and not go on strike,” said Hudy. “However, we are still not seeing the significant movement that we need to see from Air Canada, especially now that time is of the essence, and we are ready to go on strike if necessary.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world, representing more than 78,000 pilots at 41 US and Canadian airlines. Visit alpa.org