ALPA Canada Pilots Lobby Lawmakers on Parliament Hill
OTTAWA, Ont.—Today, pilot leaders of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Canada descended upon Parliament Hill to advocate for increased safety of Canada’s aviation sector and strengthened labour legislation related to collective bargaining.
As the voice of the pilot profession in Canada, pilot leaders from across the country were in Ottawa to meet with elected officials on issues impacting their profession, and to put a face to the voice from the flight deck.
ALPA Canada members are focused on the safety of passengers and aircrew and consider aviation regulations one of the pillars of safe air travel. There are concerns that some in the industry are calling on the government to relax or roll back some of these essential rules—the flight-time/duty-time (FT/DT) regulations.
“ALPA Canada is concerned with those in the aviation industry calling for the government to roll back or pause these critical regulations. We will without hesitation vigorously oppose any attempt to weaken or suspend FT/DT regulations,” said Capt. Tim Perry, ALPA Canada President. “Granting exemptions or relief from these fatigue rules for commercial operators would compromise safety and pose significant risks to passengers and flight crews.”
ALPA Canada pilots also discussed the need for improvements to the Canada Labour Code (“the Code”) to include clear and prescriptive language that would encourage an expedient and fair negotiating process.
“The section of the Code in question, Section 87.4 [Maintenance of Activities Process] has continued to be, time and again, a source of frustration for negotiating parties,” continued Capt. Perry, “The government is aware of our concerns and has committed to address the issue with the introduction of legislation before the end of the year. We will hold them to their promise and ensure, through our Parliament Hill meetings, that MPs support the legislation that will prevent negotiating parties from weaponizing the process to delay and frustrate bargaining.”
“Looking ahead, it is absolutely necessary for airline industry stakeholders and the federal government to collaborate with ALPA Canada in finding innovative ways to achieve a more stable air traffic system providing Canadian passengers the level of service and safety they deserve,” said Capt. Perry.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 75,000 pilots at 43 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit the ALPA Canada website at alpacanada.ca or follow us on Twitter @ALPACanada.
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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org
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