Business groups urge govt to intervene in potential Air Canada pilots strike | MC News | MC Radio

thank you thank you for uh coming today no one wins in a strike but a labor disruption would cause a lot of harm to a lot of people small businesses manufacturers Just in Time delivery patients with severe Health Care consequences in some cases life or death delayed cargo payments tourism our rural communities who rely on the networks job losses for Canadians who rely on air members of parliament can't get to their own writings you can't even report the news on site our economy is a fragile one it we simply cannot risk making things worse a one-day strike a one-day strike would take one full week to recover from we just saw that in our Railway experience Canada's brand and reputation is affected we've had strikes at ports we've had strikes at airports our Railways our public sector our Airlines now all of these impacts the reliability of Canada we are a trading Nation we pride ourselves on being a stable trading partner what we're doing is sending a message that we're no longer reliable we continue to experience disruptions across the supply chains we rely on to grow our economy and trade with our partners ERS and let me stress the importance that this has on our US Canada relationship this will particularly affect our relationship with our number one trading partner and our neighbor the US a country whose interdependence we know too well negotiations are best done at a table and they're best resolved at the negotiating table and frankly I think all of us hope I know all of us hope that an agreement can be reached before the deadline however if not governments are elected to look after the greater good this government has the tools available and should collective bargaining fail they need to prepare now to use them let me be clear Canada and Canadians cannot afford another disruption to our economy and now I'll pass the microphone on to my colleague Candice Lang president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Candace thank you Goldie hello everyone and thank you for being here today you hope that disputes can be handled between Business Leaders and employees but when that looks like it may not happen hope is not enough you have to know you can avoid the worst consequences consequences that Ripple out far beyond one company and its employees this affects thousands of people and businesses in every region of the country we're here today on behalf of businesses not one business but the 200,000 businesses that the chamber movement serves across 400 Chambers of Commerce and Boards of trade Canadians and businesses Nationwide are going to suffer the consequences of this potential labor disruption they are not at the negotiating table and Powerless to control the outcomes this is the reason why critical sectors are federally regulated Federal Industries include things like Communications Banking and transportation when these critical services are interrupted there is a profound disproportionate impact on people in our country we have Federal Industries because we know government has an important role in ensuring the smooth function in of these critical service areas this isn't just about air travel and immediate economic losses it's about the business community's ability to serve Canadians whether that's by putting food on shelves supporting the the delivery of Medical Services transporting materials to manufacture goods and preserve jobs it's about businesses of all sectors of the economy and communities of all sizes thriving and trying trying to stay connected across our incredible land mass and geography this is a national issue that's why yesterday we sent a letter to the honorable Steven McKinnon minister of Labor and seniors together with 95 Chambers of Commerce Boards of trade and many other industry associations calling on the government to help prevent an air travel disruption it is the last thing Canadian businesses need right now especially in a time of high costs high costs of living high costs of doing business and abundant obstacles in excess of doing business we've already seen how fragile our supply chains can be recent disruptions in other sectors such as Rail and ports possible upcoming ones have taught us a valuable lesson which is that we cannot afford any more instability an analysis of employment and Social Development Canada data concluded that in 2020 3 Canada lost the most days to labor disputes since 1986 and moving forward every delay every missed shipment every canceled meeting further chips away a Canada's credibility as a reliable business partner and the success of Canadian businesses and in fact the quality of life of all Canadians is what we're here to talk about today while deals should be reached at the table when it looks unlikely we need to face the cost of inaction and in this case that cost is simply too high we need the federal government to use other tools it has available and help support steps towards a resolution we need to do this proactively and we need decisive action to safeguard our economy and protect Canada's reputation on the world stage and most importantly to ensure we can avoid the worst outcomes for Canadians thank you and I'll now pass it over to Andrew good morning everyone thank you for being here today my name is Andrew sigart I'm the president and CEO of the tourism industry Association of Ontario when we talk about Air Canada transporting 120,000 passengers daily we need to remember that these aren't just numbers these people these are people it's the couple flying to their wedding it's the daughter rushing home to be with her family or it's the business owner traveling to secure a critical deal the reality is air travel connects people with some of the most important moments in their lives moments that can't be rescheduled or replaced in Ontario and across Canada countless businesses rely on these very passengers think of the hotels the family run restaurants and the small tourism operators who depend on Travelers walking through their doors each day September is a critical month for many of these businesses it's the time when Travelers are checking into lodges in the m skoka region when International tourists are visiting Niagara Falls and when events like Tiff are in full swing but what happens if these Travelers don't arrive a labor disruption in air travel won't just leave people stranded it will Ripple through the economy hitting small business owners who are already struggling to make it these businesses many of whom are working hard to recover from the pandemic depend on every booking every reservation and every sale imagine being a small homeowner or hotel owner in Northern Ontario you spent the last 2 years working hard to recover you've been welcoming tourists back and building up your business again now as you prepare for your busiest season flights are cancelled International Travelers can't make it the weddings conferences and vacationers you've been counting on they're not coming we need the federal government to step in and prevent this disruption from happening this isn't just about flights or passengers it's about the businesses that rely on these Travelers and the families who depend on these connections we need decisive and early action to protect our economy but more importantly to protect the lives and livelihoods of Canadians thank you and uh Dan Kelly with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business thank you good afternoon everyone and thanks for the opportunity to be here today small businesses are truly the backbone of Canada's economy and they rely so heavily on the stability of our transportation networks in including air travel from a small tech company in Halifax closing deals with Partners in the US to a restaurant in B that depends on tourists from Europe Air Travel keeps businesses moving forward when Air Services disrupted it's not just passengers that feel the effects it's the thousands and thousands of small business owners who depend on reliable transportation connections to grow and sustain their livelihood at cfib are represent 97,000 small and medium-sized companies across the country and we've already seen uh sadly this year uh several examples of how fragile small businesses can be in the face of disruption certainly that happened during the pandemic and even in the months afterwards over the past few years many of them have struggled to stay afloat and now just as they begin to rebuild the last thing they need is a big dose of new uncertainty uh labor disruption in aviation especially at this critical moment in our economic recovery would be catastrophic imagine a small manufacturer in Ontario that relies on Air Cargo to get essential parts to their clients on time a dry cleaner in a smaller Community that's waiting for a technician to fly in for a critical repair or a tourism Opera in Nova Scotia that's counting on a steady stream of international visitors just to stay afloat during their what is the end of the peak season any disruptions to air travel would jeopardize these AB these businesses ability to serve their clients but beyond the dollars and cents here there's a real human impact small business owners are people they're entrepreneurs and they they represent families and workers who have invested everything in making their business succeed A disruption in Air Service isn't just an economic hit it affects their ability to take care of their employees to pay their bills to to serve their communities and to keep their doors open this is why we need the federal government to step in early to prevent this disrupt small businesses just can't afford to wait until the damage is done the uncertainty alone that we're experiencing right now is enough to create major headaches for business owners in trying to plan and manage their operations at cfib we represent thousands of business owners who are counting on the federal government to act decisively we can't keep waiting for everything to become an emergency before government takes action we need St certainty stability and we certainly need reliable transportation networks to continue to drive Canada's economy forward the time for the federal government to act is now thank you so much great we'll now do a media Q&A you can have a question and followup uh just please state your name and outlet and uh address the question to someone specific if that's what you have in mind particularly for our guests that are remote so that they can hear so I'll pass the mic over so that everyone can hear the questions hi Jim bronskill the Canadian press uh you've spelled out the concerns you have very clearly uh just just for Ultra Clarity what would you like the federal government to do in very specific terms U thanks for the question Jim it's a really important question and important to understand what the ask is because it's important to understand what the tool that is available to help support resolution the government has and is able to offer in this circumstance and that is our ask to the federal government and that is that this be referred to arbitration that a neutral arbitrator is assigned and that that can help um bring the parties to a successful resolution and avoid um all the potential impacts we're here to talk about today thank you yeah if I can add look arbitration is is not a cakewalk for an employer this is this is where a neutral arbitrator is is appointed to try to to try to make a deal it's not easy when that happens and there's lots of risks still for the employer so it's not the federal government stepping on the scale one way or the other it is really to to to try to head off a major economic challenge for the country for hi Davis lree I politics this question is for whoever would like to take it perhaps Mr Haider uh yesterday we saw Pier POA essentially say that he stood with the Air Canada pilots and said that he doesn't support preempting negotiations do you guys feel like you have fewer political allies in this fight Mr POV is not prime minister and he's not in the government our ask of the government is you have the tool available to you whether it's the one that's being proposed or other tools that you feel may help you avoid what is coming our view is is that the government of Canada today happens to be under Mr Trudeau uh has a responsibility has a responsibility to prevent knowingly harm that will be caused to Canadians we've heard all the examples today and there will be unfortunately really uh difficult stories that will emerge in this country over the course of however long a strike would happen so our ask is you have a duty you have a responsibility for the greater good you have the mechanisms with which to do something about it I'll leave and I think we'll all leave the politics to the politicians we're here for Canadians we're here to make sure that Canadians who have plans Canadians who have jobs Canadians who have expectations of reliable services to be available to them are given that chance and we know that the government of Canada has the mechanism in which to do that and we're simply asking them to prepare to do that in the event that an agreement cannot be reached which we all believe is is best done at the negotiating table but we cannot allow for even a single day of a strike given the consequences on our already very fragile economy it would amount to government playing Russian roulette with our economy and we just can't afford that at this time and just more broadly speaking as a followup we've seen an uptick in labor disputes in recent months and years at the ports the railways now obviously with Air Canada uh to what do you attribute that Trend to well look there's a lot of economic an anxiety in the world there's no question about that um but the way you get around that is to help grow the economy not to stifle it not to bring it onto life support you work together that is what Canadians are expecting our governments to do that is what Canadians have told us to do as Business Leaders to work with our governments and that Olive Branch is always there to do that we don't get there by talking past each other we get there by working together and it's unfortunate that we've leeched a place where these labor disputes are dominating our agenda because the reality is it's not necessarily happening in many of our trading nations and our trading partners and the brand damage that's being done to Canada is you're unreliable that you don't have a system in which you can prevent this from happening and or a government that's prepared to intervene and prevent it from happening which is why we're here today that's a choice that it's going to make or not make and Canadians need to know uh that the consequences are going to be faced by them I just coming in behind Goldie on on that it it should worry us all that we are seeing a growing number of these kinds of disputes especially disputes that are affecting major massive critical Transportation links uh for us as a country but getting back to the earlier question too we have Canada has very imbalanced uh labor legislation right now and all political parties seem to be moving it in a direction to make it even more pro-union and anti- employer uh we don't have the balance that we once had in labor legislation and that is why we're seeing these disputes it's one of the reasons why most business associations have argued against policy changes like the recent ban on replacement workers in Canadian workplaces uh it seems that especially with an election in the up in the days ahead all political parties recording the union vote are very very reluctant to try to focus on on the economy uh and instead are trying to court support from union leaders it's not a good thing for us and it's one of the reasons Canadians the Canadian economy sometimes uh fall as issue number 50 on the government's list of priorities