Canadian Government Ends Air Canada Strike, Stranding Thousands

On August 16, 2025, the Canadian government took action to end an Air Canada strike that had stranded over 100,000 travelers around the world during the peak summer travel season. Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered the airline and its 10,000 striking flight attendants back to work and into arbitration, citing the need to protect the economy from the unprecedented impact.

The strike had begun less than 12 hours earlier, with the union representing the flight attendants rejecting Air Canada's request to enter into government-directed arbitration. The union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, accused the government of "rewarding Air Canada's refusal to negotiate fairly" and violating the workers' constitutional right to strike.

However, Hajdu stated that the full resumption of Air Canada's services could take days, as the Canada Industrial Relations Board would oversee the process. The shutdown of Canada's largest airline was impacting an estimated 130,000 people per day, with around 25,000 Canadians potentially stranded.

The bitter contract dispute between Air Canada and its flight attendants had been ongoing for about eight months, with the two sides remaining far apart on issues of pay and unpaid work. The airline had offered a 38% increase in total compensation, but the union argued that the airline's pilots, who are predominantly male, had received a significant raise the previous year.