Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government will work closely with Air Canada to see if any more help can be offered after the airline announced mass layoffs on Friday.
OTTAWA -- Less than 24 hours after Canada's largest airline announced plans for a massive downsizing of its workforce due to COVID-19, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's willing to see what can be done to help the ailing company -- but remained mum on details.
"We will have conversations with Air Canada as we will with airlines across the sector to try and see how the best way to get through this particular pandemic is," Trudeau said."We know that airlines are incredibly hard hit by this pandemic and we will be there to work with them to see how best we can help."
The layoffs, which will take place June 7, will affect a minimum of 19,000 staff and could go as high as 22,800. The airline did take advantage of the federal wage subsidy program to rehire over 16,000 employees initially laid off in March due to the pandemic. But now the company says workers who are laid off will no longer fall under this program and will have to apply instead for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which pays $2,000 a month to workers who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19.
"We are still working with companies to see who is taking that up and how the format of it will be worked out," he said.
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