Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

PM says Air Canada must follow laws, but mum on ruling

By: Mia Rabson

Posted: 02/6/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 02/6/2013 8:48 AM | Updates

(CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES)

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he expects Air Canada to honour its legal commitment to keep maintenance hangars in Winnipeg and Montreal but did not say whether he agrees with a Quebec judge the airline is not doing so.

"It is clear that the government expects Air Canada to abide by its legal commitments, which are clear," Harper said, responding in French to a question from NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair during question period Tuesday. "But as the leader of the NDP acknowledges, the reality is that this case remains in the courts, and we await those decisions."

Harper did not elaborate and his office would only say he was referring to what law says.

The law in question is the Air Canada Public Participation Act, passed in 1988 as part of the agreement to let Air Canada privatize. The act requires the airline to keep heavy-maintenance facilities operating in Winnipeg, Montreal and Mississauga. Between 2004 and March 2012, the maintenance work in those cities was contracted to a separate company, Aveos, in which Air Canada owned about a 20 per cent stake.

Aveos, however, went out of business last March, putting 2,600 Canadians out of business and shifting a lot of the maintenance work outside the country. At least 400 of the jobs were located in Winnipeg.

So Quebec took Air Canada to court, and Justice Martin Castonguay sided with the province Monday, saying if the company wanted to shift its business plan, it needed a legislative change to allow for it.

Manitoba was an intervenor in the case and is watching the outcome to determine what it will do. Air Canada plans to appeal, which means there will not suddenly be an influx of maintenance jobs in Winnipeg or Montreal.

Last May, an Air Canada spokesman said some engine work was still being done at a different Winnipeg company but there were no facilities in the city that could handle air-frame maintenance. He acknowledged some maintenance work had gone to facilities in New York, Singapore, Ireland and Hong Kong. However, the company will no longer say where the airplanes are being maintained.

"Given our pending appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada we are obliged to refrain from further comment on this matter," said company spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick in an email.

Air Canada has signed a five-year contract for maintenance to be done in Duluth, Minn.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 6, 2013 A4

History

Updated on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 8:48 AM CST: The law in question is the Air Canada Public Participation Act.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.