Thousands of Canadian aviation workers lose their jobs
Episode Stats
Summary
Thousands of Canadian airline workers were put on leave without pay Monday for not complying with industry-wide mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. The group Free to Fly, a hub for airline professionals and travellers, was started in April by two Canadian airline professionals.
Transcript
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Hello, I'm Melanie Rizdin, reporter with the Western Standard.
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Thousands of Canadian aviation professionals were put on leave without pay Monday for not
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complying with industry-wide forced COVID-19 vaccinations. The group Free to Fly, a hub for
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Canadian airline professionals and travellers against the COVID-19 mandates, was started in
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April by two Canadian airline professionals. Yesterday, thousands of pilots, flight attendants
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and other free-to-fly aviation professionals were forced into unemployment, said the group
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in a statement released to the Western Standard. They have been deemed unwelcome by employers they've
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served safely and faithfully for decades, after insisting on their right to informed consent
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and health freedom. These men and women are exchanging current comfort and security to
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bravely stand for the future freedom of this once great nation." Matt, one of the founders,
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who has asked that we only use his first name, is a pilot for one of Canada's major airlines.
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Matt and his wife, who is a flight attendant, were both put on leave without pay on Monday.
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Flying has been my dream since I was five years old, said Matt in an interview.
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But I'm actually doing okay. I have the support of my family and the truth is my wife and I have
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taken solace in banding together with like-minded people we've met through Free to Fly.
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Matt said membership for Free to Fly has been growing daily and sits just under 40,000.
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We are working to create a coordinated, coherent media message to up our presence.
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The goal is to recruit enough people that our forces felt economically, said Matt.
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Matt also said the group is working closely with lawyers who have a proven track record for working
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on cases like this. We plan to share stories from passengers and some of our airline professionals
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to show how people are suffering greatly with these new restrictions on travel, said Matt.
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Free to Fly has updated its website with a video that explains why tens of thousands of airline
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professionals would give up lifestyle, financial security, and for some, a lifelong dream career.
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For things to go back to a free and fair society, said Matt, we all have to give something up.
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But the longer we wait to stand up, the more we will have to give up.
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Matt encourages travelers and industry professionals to sign up on the Free to Fly website.
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In the meantime, Matt said he and his wife plan to start a business together to support their family.
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Monday, WestJet implemented the federal government's mandatory vaccination policy for air travelers
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and put about 300 employees on leave without pay for not complying with the company's vaccination mandate deadline.
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The implication of these policies mark a major confidence milestone for our industry as Canadians can fly
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knowing that they are traveling within a fully vaccinated ecosystem, said Ed Sims, WestJet Group
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president and CEO in a statement. Quote, we are taking all necessary steps to ensure our guests are
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advised of the new requirements for travel prior to taking their next flight.
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According to the WestJet statement, for phase one travelers between October 30th and November 29th,
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in order to travel with the WestJet Group, guests must prepare to provide proof of vaccination or
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proof of a valid PCR test to demonstrate the requirements for travel. For phase two,
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for travelers on or after November 30th, only proof of vaccination for guests 12 years and older,
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with narrow exceptions, will be acceptable for travel on the WestJet Group. Roughly 96 percent of all
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WestJets are fully vaccinated. The Western Standard reached out to Air Canada for a statement,
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but did not hear back in time for publishing. For the Western Standard, I'm Melanie Rizdin.