(Ottawa) Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the union representing WestJet cabin crew should apologize for trying to muzzle free speech.
Mr. Poilievre used the public address system to deliver a 45-second speech Sunday evening aboard a WestJet plane heading to Calgary from Quebec following the Conservative Party convention.
After video of the speech surfaced online, the president of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4070-Alberta said it was disappointing the airline allowed a politician to use the aircraft’s public address system, and that the cabin crew had no say in the decision.
The union wanted WestJet and Mr. Poilievre to apologize for putting cabin workers in this situation.
Speaking in Vancouver on Thursday, Mr. Poilievre said that cabin crew had asked him to speak several times on that flight, and that it was the union that should apologize.
“The union should apologize for trying to silence free speech. The crew invited me to give a speech and they did so several times, Mr. Poilievre maintained. And I think it’s because people who work on airplanes, people who work in restaurants, people who build things like my message. »
Following the Conservative Party leader’s remarks on Thursday, a union spokesperson insisted that WestJet management had asked cabin crew to provide access to the plane’s announcement system and to visit Mr. Poilievre in the cockpit.
“As mentioned in our previous statement, this direction is contrary to WestJet’s own policy which states that the public address system is for crew use only,” Lou Arab said in an email.
WestJet’s CEO said Wednesday that the flight was specifically added to the schedule due to additional demand related to the convention, and that most of the passengers were Conservative delegates.
Nonetheless, he also said they would review the policy.
“The party leader was given the opportunity to greet the delegates on board (which is not unusual), but this is not a political endorsement and should not be interpreted as such,” Alexis wrote von Hoensbroech in his own statement published on X, formerly Twitter. We are non-partisan by nature and will review our policy on this matter. »