Air Inuit, pilots still working out new contract

With a possible nation-wide Air Canada pilots strike looming, pilots for one regional Arctic airline are in the midst of their own contract talks.

Air Inuit’s 204 pilots have been working without a collective agreement since their old one expired in June 2023, according to their union. Negotiations with the company for a new one opened Dec. 14 and are ongoing.

Air Inuit primarily serves locations in Nunavik as well as southern cities of Montreal and Quebec City.

“We aim to establish conditions that will permit us to retain experienced pilots with knowledge in a more competitive market,” said Louis Eric Desmarais, who represents the Air Inuit pilots in the Air Line Pilots Association Canada union.

“We strive toward a new collective agreement to secure this experience necessary to continue serving the Inuit population,” he said, adding further details can’t be released during negotiations.

Calm Air signed a five-year collective agreement with its union last year.

Earlier this week, representatives for northern airlines Canadian North and Calm Air told Nunatsiaq News their service would not be directly impacted by a strike at Air Canada.

Air Inuit did not respond to a request for comment on the ongoing talks or a possible strike at Air Canada.

After months of negotiations without a settlement, Air Canada’s approximately 2,000 pilots voted in favour of job action at the end of August.

A pilots’ strike or company lockout is possible as early as Sunday.

On Friday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council of Canada added their voices to the growing chorus of business leaders calling on the federal government to prevent a work stoppage, which they said would hurt trade, air travel and commerce.

On Friday, The Canadian Press reported Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government will not intervene.

Canadian North airline, which serves Nunavut and Nunavik, has a collective agreement with its pilots until the end of 2025, said union chairperson Steven Bard in an email late Thursday.

Canadian North pilots are represented by the same union as Air Inuit pilots.

“As the agreement nears its end, negotiations will begin to get the pilots a new collective agreement reflecting the reality of the current wage gaps and ensuring a better quality of life for its pilots and the prospects for the carriers’ future success,” Bard said.

He called Canadian North a great career choice for pilots, adding “the competitive challenges still exist and must be addressed.”

Bard said the union remains “open to dialogue” to proactively address Canadian North’s need for new pilots.

In recent years, airlines across the country have struggled to recruit new pilots. In 2023, then Canadian North CEO Michael Rodyniuk cited a “chronic shortage” of pilots around the world.

Bard said pilot retention and wage disparities at Canadian airlines are well known across the industry and there is a “critical need for improvements.”