Overview

• The stoppage has grounded large parts of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge operations, cancelled hundreds of flights and disrupted service for roughly 130,000 passengers per day during the peak summer schedule.
• Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to request binding arbitration, prompting the CIRB to extend the expired collective agreement and issue a return-to-work directive.
• CUPE has publicly refused the board's order, staged demonstrations at major airports, ripped up the directive in Toronto and says the back-to-work move is unconstitutional because it strips strike leverage over pay and unpaid ground duties.
• Air Canada suspended its planned restart, accused the union of illegally directing defiance, and said affected passengers are eligible for refunds or rebooking where alternative capacity exists.
• The federal government is weighing options — court enforcement of the CIRB order, expedited hearings or emergency legislation — but legal limits and Parliament's recess make the next steps uncertain.