Flight attendant ratio at issue.
from the Canadian Union of Public Employees
CUPE Airline Division President Michel Cournoyer and NDP Transport, Infrastructure and Communities critic Olivia Chow are urging the Conservative government to stop compromising airline passenger safety with the recent decision to reduce the number of flight attendants on board all Canadian airplanes.
"The ratio of one flight attendant for every 40 passengers is safety-proven and the government should not play Russian roulette with passenger safety. In an emergency situation, be it an evacuation, a fire, cabin decompression or a terrorist attack, every second counts. As safety professionals, flight attendants are the first line of defence when things go wrong on an aircraft," said Cournoyer.
"The Conservatives say they care about the security and safety of Canadians," said Chow. "Unforunately, when the time comes to help airline companies increase their profits, it seems that these values go out the cabin window at the expense of passengers' safety. The government should admit its mistake and maintain the ratio of one flight attendant for every 40 passengers for all Canadian airlines," said Chow.
The recent Conservative government's decision to allow WestJet to use a ratio of one flight attendant for every 50 passenger seats on its flights is setting a dangerous precedent for passenger safety with every airline in Canada, said Cournoyer. On the heels of the government's decision favouring WestJet, Air Canada has applied to Transport Canada to allow one flight attendant per 50 passenger seats on North American flights.
The Conservatives have signalled their intention to change the existing regulation, so all Canadian airlines can switch to the one in 50 ratio.
If the federal government proceeds to increase the ratio, CUPE will launch a legal challenge.
"Because the rights and interests of our members to a safe and secure workplace will be directly affected, we are entitled to make our case for passenger safety before an exemption is granted", said Cournoyer..
He said if Transport Canada changes the regulations unilaterally, the union would challenge the change on the basis of procedural fairness.
"We will also rely on Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that guarantees the right to security of the person in accordance with principles of fundamental justice," he said.
“The ratio of one flight attendant for every 40 passengers is safety-proven and the government should not play Russian roulette with passenger safety.”
Airlines looking for cost savings, he added, should lobby the federal government for reductions in the various airport taxes and user fees rather than compromise passenger safety.
CUPE represents more than 10,000 flight attendants employed by Air Canada, Air Transat, Calm Air, Canadian North, Canjet, Cathy Pacific, First Air and Sun Wing.
About Canadian Union of Public Employees
With 618,000 members across Canada, CUPE represents workers in health care, education, municipalities, libraries, universities, social services, public utilities, transportation, emergency services and airlines.
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