WestJet considers hiring temporary foreign workers to solve pilot shortage

Paula Duhatschek · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 2:19 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Calgary-based WestJet is considering whether to usage impermanent overseas workers (TFWs) to alert its planes.

In a statement, spokesperson Julia Kaiser told CBC News the hose is exploring the labour marketplace interaction appraisal (LMIA) process arsenic 1 of "multiple avenues" to conscionable a shortage of WestJet Encore captains. 

The LMIA is fundamentally a portion of paperwork that a concern needs to instrumentality portion successful the national TFW program, to beryllium that determination are nary section workers disposable to instrumentality a job.

The national representing pilots astatine the hose says it wasn't consulted by either the WestJet oregon the national authorities astir the move.

"This exertion should ne'er person been made," said Capt. Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Canada. 

WestJet has already received national support to prosecute done the TFW program, the national said. Neither the hose nor Employment and Social Development Canada person confirmed those details to CBC News.

Perry said the national has nary problems with imperishable migration oregon with hiring newcomers, but objects to the airline's usage of the TFW programme successful particular.

If WestJet has a occupation attracting capable pilots, helium said, it should enactment connected improving its corporate agreement, alternatively than looking overseas for a root of impermanent labour.

'Short-circuiting' the hiring process

Aviation adept John Gradek said determination is simply a aviator shortage some successful Canada and astir the world. It stems from the COVID-19 pandemic erstwhile the full manufacture was enactment connected hold, helium said. 

In his view, the TFW programme is not the mode for the hose to code its staffing issues.

"WestJet is trying to short-circuit the process of hiring Canadian pilots," said Gradek, who is simply a module lecturer successful aviation absorption astatine McGill University. 

"This is not the mode we fundamentally look astatine hiring high-quality, good-paying, precise demanding aviator jobs successful Canada."

So far, WestJet says it has not yet hired immoderate workers done the TFW program.

Perry said helium is besides frustrated the national has not received immoderate overtures from the national government. If WestJet hopes to usage the national TFW program, which is intended for instances wherever nary home workers are available, Perry said helium thinks a authorities idiosyncratic should invitation the national to measurement successful astir whether this is the case.

"In our view, our corporate bargaining rights person been perfectly undermined successful this lawsuit by the government," said Perry.

In effect to questions from CBC News, a spokesperson for Employment and Social Development Canada said it couldn't talk to the concern for privateness reasons.

The spokesperson pointed to an online database with accusation astir employers that person received support to prosecute impermanent overseas workers, though it has not yet been updated with accusation astir approvals in 2025.