Air transportation and aerospace are among the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the onset of this pandemic, tens of thousands of direct jobs have been lost across the country.

These are not just numbers. Families and communities have been devastated.

If there is no federal intervention, tens of thousands of more jobs will be lost.

But despite numerous calls for help, Justin Trudeau is slow to intervene.

Justin Trudeau is willing to do anything for his rich friends, but when it comes to workers, he asks them to wait.

Elsewhere in the world, many countries have already made significant efforts to support workers in the air transport and aerospace sectors.

It’s time for the federal government to do its part.

We in the NDP want to protect these good jobs and help workers in these sectors.

That is why we are calling for immediate, strategic and specific assistance for these sectors which will:

• Force companies to use the wage subsidy program to protect jobs and wages.

• Ensure that all the rules in the Canada Labour Code, collective agreements and health and safety requirements are respected.

• Ensure that public financing supports workers and jobs directly by preventing further layoffs and encouraging re-hiring laid off workers.

• Ensure that companies receiving public funding do not offer bonuses to senior executives and donot distribute dividends.

• Ensure that funds extended to companies include an equity stake that will guarantee protection of the public interest.

• Ensure that public funds support workers and consumers alike and will not force air transport companies to choose between protecting jobs and refunding passengers for cancelled flights.

• Support a national strategy for aerospace that supports workers and jobs in Canada.

• Put in place adequate support for NAV-Canada to preserve and restore it’s work force and continue to deliver its key services

Tell Justin Trudeau’s Liberals to act now to protect air and aerospace workers.