The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), now known as the IAM Union, representing over 16,000 Canadian airport and airline workers, is urging opposition to the Competition Bureau’s June 19, 2025 recommendation to allow foreign airlines to operate domestic routes in Canada.

The proposed changes, including lifting cabotage and foreign ownership restrictions, would severely undermine Canadian carriers by enabling foreign companies to cherry-pick profitable routes, threaten thousands of unionized jobs, weaken national aviation infrastructure (particularly in remote and Indigenous communities), and hand control of Canadian skies to foreign corporations with no accountability to Canadians.

These recommendations are not in line with international norms and represent a step backward for Canada’s aviation sector.

The IAM Union is calling for the government to reject these proposals, ensure labour is fully consulted on any future reforms, and instead invest in a strong, sovereign aviation system that serves the interests of Canadians.