Internal government records show Labour Minister Patty Hajdu cited a medical emergency that never materialized when she moved to shut down a legal strike by Air Canada flight attendants in 2025.Blacklock's Reporter says documents obtained through Access to Information requests indicate Hajdu’s public warnings about disrupted shipments of organ tissue and life-saving pharmaceuticals were not supported by internal assessments at the time.On August 16, Hajdu told reporters the strike involving roughly 10,000 flight attendants posed a serious risk to the transport of critical medical supplies, including organs. She argued the work stoppage was already affecting both passengers and essential cargo, framing the intervention as necessary to protect public health.But briefing notes prepared for cabinet painted a different picture.An August 15 Transportation System Monitoring Brief found no evidence of medical emergencies tied to the strike, noting instead that airports would primarily face financial impacts from reduced traffic.A separate memorandum to the minister said the disruption would not ground Canada’s aviation system, adding alternative carriers such as WestJet, Porter Airlines and Flair Airlines could absorb some passenger demand, albeit with limited capacity. .Regional operators including Canadian North and Air North were expected to maintain service to remote communities.Officials also noted that Air Canada subsidiary Jazz would continue operating during the strike, further reducing the risk of widespread service interruptions.Despite Hajdu’s public statements, an August 12 letter from Air Canada requesting federal intervention focused on economic concerns, particularly the potential hit to tourism during peak travel season, and did not reference any threats to medical supply chains.The records mark the second time Hajdu has been accused of presenting misleading anecdotes to justify strike intervention.In 2018, during a labour dispute involving the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Hajdu cited the case of a pensioner allegedly facing eviction due to delayed disability payments. At the time, both the union and Canada Post confirmed that pension and benefits cheques continued to be delivered under a longstanding agreement, regardless of job action.“There is no delay,” a Canada Post spokesperson said at the time.
