Canadian North laying off roughly 15 pilots due to drop in flying, union says
Airline says no northern employment or flight services will be affected
Canadian North has laid off roughly 15 of its Boeing 737 pilots according to the union representing them.
In a news release Oct. 31, Steven Bard, chairperson of the Canadian North Master Executive Council, said the layoffs were announced at the end of the first week of bargaining discussions between the union and company.
“It’s quite sombre, it’s not the best news anybody wants to hear. We are there as a union to support them and we are making that clear,” he said in an interview.
Bard says the layoffs stem from a drop in flying. Hance Colburne, a spokesperson for Canadian North, attributes that to the transfer of the Montreal–Kuujjuaq route to Air Inuit, and the end of work on the Kitimat LNG project in B.C.
LNG Canada has just wrapped up its $40-billion phase 1, after loading its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for export in June.
The proposed phase 2 would double LNG Canada’s production, but it’s still waiting on approval. It’s one of the five major “nation-building” projects Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to fast-track.
“There has been a significant delay in the advancement of phase 2. When that project moves forward, Canadian North is ready to resume and expand our support,” he wrote in an email.
Colburne stressed the changes are not related to the recent purchase of Canadian North by Exchange Income Corporation.
He said no northern employment or flight services are affected by the cuts. However, a Canadian North flight attendant who CBC News has agreed not to name to protect their employment, worries the cuts will be felt across the company. They said flight attendants from Ottawa often backfill positions in the North due to staff shortages, so northern flights could still be affected.
“We’re afraid that it might create a domino effect, and we’ll end up with bigger problems because there won’t be anyone to cover those flights at all,” they said.
Meanwhile, the union is negotiating their seventh collective agreement for the roughly 240 pilots with the airline.
Bard said negotiations have been positive so far, and the airline appears to recognize the need to retain its pilots.
“We’re here for a fair and industry standard contract to try to mitigate and prevent pilots from migrating to other airlines. We want Canadian North to be a destination career airline for pilots in Canada,” he said.
Bard said the union is working on a program to support affected pilots.
With files from Anaïs Elboujdaïni and Tharsha Ravichakaravarthy
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Air Tindi pausing flights between Yellowknife and Whatı, CBC News
Finland: Record December passenger numbers for airports in Arctic Finland, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Air France launches flights to three destinations above the Arctic Circle, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: Why are elite fighter pilots leaving the U.S. Air Force?, Alaska Public Media
