Air Canada strike: Minister ‘very optimistic’ agreement can be reached

The federal labour minister said Tuesday he’s still “very optimistic” a strike by Air Canada pilots can be averted through negotiations before it’s set to begin as soon as next week.

Steve MacKinnon told reporters outside the Liberal caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., that some “significant issues” remain unresolved but that headway had been made in talks between Air Canada and the Air Line Pilots Association union, despite both sides suggesting that negotiations had effectively stalled over recent weeks.

“There is absolutely no reason these parties cannot come to a negotiated agreement,” the minister said.

“My position is that they should do the work necessary to relieve Canadians of the considerable uncertainty that this causes with respect to travel, with respect to economic issues, and to bear down, knuckle down and get a deal.”

Air Canada said Monday that it is working on plans to start suspending operations ahead of a potential strike or lockout, which could start as soon as Sept. 18.

Unless a settlement is reached by Sunday, Sept. 15, either the airline or the union could issue a 72-hour lockout or strike notice.

Flight cancellations could start as early as Friday if an agreement isn’t reached by then, the airline said.

ALPA said Monday that negotiations “continue to progress slowly, if at all,” and announced plans to open strike headquarters in Toronto on Thursday in anticipation of a work stoppage.

MacKinnon on Tuesday wouldn’t say if he intended to intervene in the dispute similar to his decision to request binding arbitration and return-to-work orders to resolve a rail shutdown late last month.

“Our commitment is to collective bargaining, and we want to make sure that these parties are very, very focused on getting a