A probe by the federal government into the abuse of unpaid work in the airline sector has concluded, without a concrete plan to tackle the issue and ensure fairness for flight attendants in Canada.
It’s clear now more than ever that Parliament must pass interim NDP leader Don Davies’s Bill C-250, a private member’s bill to ensure flight attendants are paid for all hours worked at their negotiated hourly rate.
“After doing Air Canada’s dirty work for them in August, the government is back with another gift to Air Canada and other multibillion dollar companies in this industry,” said Mark Hancock, CUPE’s National President. “The government’s only proposed solution is to have airlines do wage compliance self-audits. You don’t ask the fox whether they can be trusted with the henhouse, but that’s exactly what the government is proposing to do here.”
A 2022-23 survey showed flight attendants in Canada work, on average, 35 hours without pay every month.
Meanwhile, a poll conducted by Abacus Data in August 2025 showed 9-in-10 Canadians want an end to unpaid work in the airline sector.
CUPE represents 20,000 flight attendants at 11 airlines across Canada, including five where new contracts are being negotiated this year.
“While the government continues its review, flight attendants are still logging hours without pay. It’s time for MPs to come together and move Bill C-250 forward to deliver fair compensation now
,” said CUPE’s National Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick.