Unifor is deeply saddened by the loss of life during the tragic aircraft incident at LaGuardia Airport that claimed the lives of two Air Canada Jazz pilots and injured dozens more.

Our thoughts are with the families, friends, and colleagues of the pilots who lost their lives, as well as with all those who were injured and impacted by this devastating event. This loss is being felt across the entire aviation community.

Every day, aviation workers carry immense responsibility to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, often under complex and demanding conditions. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the risks they face in the course of their work.

While the cause of this incident must be determined through a full and independent investigation, it is impossible to ignore the broader pressures facing the aviation industry.

Across North America, aviation workers continue to raise concerns about staffing shortages, increasing workloads, and strained resources that have followed years of disruption and cost-cutting.

In the United States in particular, chronic understaffing and funding challenges, have placed additional pressure on aviation systems and the workers who keep them running safely every day.

Unifor created an Air Transportation Workers’ Charter of Rights—to highlight the need for improved working conditions.

We express solidarity with our members across the aviation sector today. Unifor members are directly supporting passengers and families impacted by this tragedy through Air Canada’s emergency response centre in Saint John, N.B.

Their compassion, professionalism, and care in these moments of crisis reflect the very best of our union.

Unifor stands in solidarity with our members at Air Canada and Jazz Aviation, and with all aviation workers affected. We also recognize and thank the emergency responders and airport personnel who acted swiftly in the aftermath.

We will continue to support our members and advocate for the highest safety standards, improvements in working conditions for all air transportation workers, and proper investment across the industry.

OTTAWA – Unifor leaders from across the country are in Ottawa this week, meeting with more than 75 MPs from all sitting parties to deliver the message to Protect Canadian Jobs.

“In the face of U.S. tariffs, everything is on the line for workers in Canada, and we need the federal government and all political parties to match the urgency of this moment,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We’re ready to deliver a message to protect Canadian jobs, our country’s industrial economy, and defend trade union rights.”

Unifor is calling on the federal government to implement three policy pillars to protect workers and increase Canada’s economic resilience:

1. “Buy Canadian” and “Sell Here, Build Here”: Companies that sell in Canada must build in Canada. We need “Buy Canadian” rules applied to projects like the $3 billion VIA Rail renewal. This also means ending preferential treatment for U.S. suppliers and using every legal tool to stop the offshoring of Canadian jobs.
2. Worker-Centered Industrial Strategies: Develop coherent, sector-specific strategies with clear targets to reinforce Canada’s industrial base.  We need industrial strategies crafted with worker input to prioritize job quality and training, bridge supply chain gaps and protect good jobs in every sector.
3. Promote Good, Union Jobs: Ensure public dollars only go to companies that respect workers’ rights. Unifor’s plan calls for union neutrality for companies that benefit from government funding, defending the right to strike, and trade rules that protect Canadian workers from unfair competition.

“Our plan shows government how to build a more resilient economy which promotes good, union jobs. We must protect and grow industries in Canada and Quebec with a whole-supply-chain outlook, and the only way to do that successfully is to include workers in the process,” said Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier.

Unifor has advocated for actions to protect jobs, build a more resilient economy, and defend Canadian sovereignty. Find information on the union’s asks here.

Workers at Amazon YVR2 in British Columbia are owed millions in back wages, according to a Labour Board ruling levied February 13, 2026.