02:37 PM EDT, 09/11/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Canada's Conservative party chief says he stands with pilots in a labor dispute with Air Canada ( ACDVF ), as the carrier prepares to suspend flights ahead of a potential strike, Bloomberg is reporting Wednesday.

Pierre Poilievre, leader of the opposition and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's main rival, said he would not support any action that preempted negotiations between the airline and union. "I would call on Air Canada ( ACDVF ) to negotiate in good faith with the pilots," he told reporters on Wednesday. "We stand with the pilots and their right to fight for a fair deal, good wages."

Bloomberg report noted the airline is set to suspend flights starting Sunday if a deal can't be reached with the union representing more than 5,000 pilots. The pilots will be in a position to issue a 72-hour strike notice that day, and the airline plans to begin progressively canceling flights before shutting down completely on Sept. 18.

It's the latest labor headache for Trudeau's Liberal government. Last month, a tribunal agreed to the government's request to order locked-out rail workers back on the job and to undergo binding arbitration, after a one-day stoppage choked supply chains.

If a strike against Air Canada ( ACDVF ) goes ahead, the government could make a similar request - but an official who asked not to be named to discuss internal matters said it doesn't plan on being trigger-happy with that power.

Another option would be to put forward back-to-work legislation in the parliament, but the Liberals would need the support of one of the three main opposition parties to pass it.

Poilievre's comments suggest he would not support such legislation. The party with the third-largest number of seats, the Bloc Quebecois, also said Wednesday that it leans more to the workers' side. The fourth-place New Democratic Party is a union-aligned party and recently pulled out of a deal, ending its official support for the Liberals on key votes.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally, and/or from other media sources. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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