Quebec union leaders say workers could face same fate as Air Canada flight attendants

The president of the FTQ, Magali Picard, photographed during a press conference in Quebec City, on Dec. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

The presidents of two major Quebec unions fear workers in the province could soon face the same treatment as striking Air Canada flight attendants under a provincial law passed in May.

The law gives Quebec’s labour minister the power to end a labour dispute by imposing arbitration when the strike or lockout is deemed likely to cause serious or irreparable harm to the public.

Magali Picard with the FTQ and Éric Gingras with the CSQ say Quebec employers now have an incentive to drag their feet on negotiations while waiting for the government to intervene.

The two union presidents are drawing a parallel between the new Quebec law and federal legislation that permits Ottawa to force two sides in a labour dispute into binding arbitration.

Ottawa has done just that in the conflict between Air Canada and its flight attendants’ union, and the federal labour relations board has ruled the union’s strike unlawful.

However, the union representing the Air Canada flight attendants has defied the order from the labour relations board and says the strike will continue.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2025.