Ottawa, ON – An IAM delegation to the Federal Standing Committee on Transport revealed flaws in Bill C-10 – The Air Canada Public Participation Act – and asked the committee to send it back to House of Commons with recommendations that would ensure the survival and growth of the aircraft maintenance, repair and 0verhaul (MRO) industry.
“In its current form, the Act endangers the livelihood of the MRO industry,” explained IAM Transportation District Lodge 140 President and Directing General Chairperson Fred Hospes. "In particular, this bill explicitly allows Air Canada to change the type or volume of any or all of its aircraft maintenance work as well as the level of employment.”
“Bill C-10 will simply allow Air Canada to move all of its aircraft maintenance and overhaul work abroad,” stated IAM Quebec Coordinator Dave Chartrand. “It will undermine the entire aviation maintenance and aerospace sector in this country. It puts at risk thousands of good-paying, high-skilled, high-tech jobs that could provide employment for Canadians for decades to come.”
“The current version of this legislation is too vague,” said IAM Canadian General Vice President Stan Pickthall. “It takes away any leverage that any government currently has to maintain Canadian jobs in this country.”
In its presentation to the Committee late Wednesday, the IAM urged the Committee to send Bill C-10 back to the house with the following recommendations:
1) Remove the new subsection (4) concerning maintenance activities
2) We ask that the jobs and this industry be maintained in Canada and the government continues to invest in and support the MRO industry in Canada.
A 22-member IAM delegation has been in Ottawa this week lobbying MP’s who are members of the committee.
The IAM is the largest union at Air Canada representing 8,000 workers.
