Confirms Airline’s violation of the Air Canada Public Participation Act
Tuesday November 3, 2015
For Immediate Release
Montreal, QC – The Quebec Court of Appeals has today rejected an appeal by Air Canada on the February 4, 2013 ruling that the airline violated the Air Canada Public Participation Act. The appeal was rejected with costs.
“The court is upholding the argument that we have been making all along, that Air Canada was breaking the law when it sent our members work out of the country,” said IAM General Vice President Dave Ritchie.
Under the Act, Air Canada is required to perform its heavy maintenance work in Montreal, Winnipeg and Mississauga. In 2009, Air Canada sold off its heavy maintenance work to Aveos Fleet Performance which operated facilities in those locations. However when that firm closed in March of 2012, Air Canada at that point sent its heavy maintenance work elsewhere prompting the Quebec and Manitoba governments to sue the airline for contravention of the Air Canada Public Participation Act.
Today’s ruling upheld the February 2013 decision which concluded Air Canada doesn’t respect the law put in place when it privatized in 1988.
“More than 2500 of our members lost their jobs over this and we promised them we would never give up this fight and we welcome this decision,” said Ritchie. “Our legal counsel will discuss this decision Wednesday with counsel from the Quebec Attorney General and where we go from here and we will advise our members accordingly”.