Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday he's disappointed Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants weren't able to reach a deal after eight months of negotiations.
Carney said he is urging both sides to quickly resolve the situation causing major chaos for travellers.
"We are in a situation where literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians and visitors to our country are being disrupted by this action," he said.
Carney made the comments to reporters ahead of a meeting with Ontario Premier Doug Ford in Ottawa.
Flight attendants went on strike early Saturday morning after talks broke down and the two sides failed to reach a deal on Friday.
Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu referred the matter to the Canada Industrial Relations Board on Saturday in a bid to end the dispute through binding arbitration, saying the two parties remained too far apart to reach a deal on their own.
"It was the judgment of both the union and the company that they were at an impasse. That's not my judgment, it's their judgment," Carney said Monday.
He also said that Ottawa recognizes the "critical role that flight attendants play in keeping Canadians and their families safe as they travel," adding that it's "important that they're compensated equitably at all times."
The union representing the flight attendants ignored Ottawa's back-to-work order over the weekend and launched a legal challenge against the move.
On Monday morning the labour board declared the strike unlawful and ordered the union's leadership to tell its striking workers to go back to work.
Following his meeting with Carney, Ford told reporters that everyone deserves a fair wage and that the final deal has to be in the best interest of the workers, the company and Canadians.
Asked about the union's decision to initially defy the back-to-work order, Ford said it was up to the federal government to "make sure they sit down at the table."
"That always happens when you have labour issues, but they'll work it out. It's happened before, and they'll get things moving," he said.
— with files from Kyle Duggan
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2025.
