Creating Some Form Of Pilot's Association

[Gilles]

Hello Everyone,

 

As many of you know, for the past three years, I've been fighting the issue of Foreign Pilots that certain airlines in Canada employed every winter as Temporary Foreign Workers. At the time this practice was limited to Canjet and Sunwing in the 705 sector. I have since learned that all Operators have recourse to Temporary Foreign Worker Pilots, from Flight Schools, to 702, 703 and 704 Operators. It seems that every year, hundreds of Foreign Pilots are given Temporary Work Permits to come to work in Canada and take jobs away from Canadians. This is especially prevalent in the helicopter industry.

I think that this practice must stop.

 

The aviation industry is well represented by all sorts of Industry associations which all lobby to the government in favor of their particular sector of the aviation industry. These interests are often opposed to those of Canadian pilots, like the recent crew rest legislation, that the aviation industry mostly opposes.

There is no one that lobbies or does anything to defend the interests of Canadian professional pilots. Unions do a very poor job and many Professional pilots are not even under a Union. Often, pilots are afraid to speak out because their fear consequences such as blacklisting from being hired.

 

Is it not time that some form of pilot association be created to defend the interests of all professional pilots in Canada ? Flight instructors, corporate pilots, charter pilots, crop dusters, water bombers, helicopter pilots, commuter pilots, and airline pilots. Anyone who has a CPL or an ATPL. An organisation created and run by people who are representative of the above pilots groups and who could speak for them, and defend their interests ?

 

How do we go about creating such an Association that would encompass everyone, look after everyone and whose sole mandate would be to defend the interests of Canadian commercial pilots and speak on their behalf as a strong and unified group ?.

 

Such a group would need thousands of members to be credible and have any teeth. (over 5000 at least)

 

Where to begin and how ?

 

Gilles

[jamnut]

What's your opinion of pilots or AMEs temporarily working in foreign countries? Many Canadians currently are taking jobs away from locals in other countries, consider the impact it would have if Canada said no more TWF and other countries followed. I suspect there would be far more air crews out of work than there is now.

[bigD]

Let's not start this debate again. Thats a problem for the other countries and the foreign pilots working in them.

[Gilles]

Many countries need Foreign pilots. Canada does not.

[Skidmark]

Hey! I was over there "training"

[Gilles]

I see no one is really interested. You find acceptable that the Helicopter Association of Canada tells the government that foreign pilots are necessary ?

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pcj1k5qamssi6ma/Helicopter%20Association%20of%20Canada_Honourable_Jason_Kenny.pdf?dl=0

[Fred Lewis]

I do believe that many are interested but no one seems to find enough motivation to be enthusiastic. I have tried several times to get something going with no results. I think a main reason for this is that many pilots feel that their employers will be greatly prejudiced against them if they join an association or worse, a union. This is contrary to the fact that the employees of several aviation companies have unionized and benefited from it.

I constantly lobby TC officials and members of parliament to persuade them to my point of view. This sort of thing is demonstrably effective and all pilots should vigourously follow suit. When a politician receives a letter from an individual, he or she is certain that there are likely many others who share the opinion.

Perhaps this is the most effective course of action. HAC has an obvious agenda and this can work against them. They publish this agenda exposing their strategy and their tactics whereas the agenda of a group of pilots expressing their views individually and has no detectable agenda. This makes such an agenda difficult to oppose.

I urge all pilots to forcefully speak. I will make sure that when the proposed changes to the FDT regulations appear for public comment in the Canada Gazette that everyone knows about it.

[kiefk]

Gilles, if you're that motivated about the subject, then maybe you're the person to start the ball rolling...

 

I believe that there is a place for TFWs but only once a Company demonstrates, beyond any reasonable doubt, that there is no Canadian pilot (low or high time) that could do or be trained to do the job in question.

 

But then I assume they will say that their customer requires a pilot with higher hours than a new pilot and that a TFW is their only option? I guess the real issue is how do they confirm that the TFWs 'logbook' hours are even real!?...

 

I now work for a Air Ambulance company where you HAVE to be part of a union as a condition of employment....

 

Good luck

[Gilles]

I would. But I'm francophone, live in Quebec, am an ATPL rated pilot flying 705 large fixed wing jets, for Air Transat, all reasons that will scare many pilots away. Similar to some of the reasons that the CPPC did not gain broad support perhaps.

[freck]

Prove without a reasonable doubt that a Canadian can do or be trained to do? That is perhaps one of the silliest statements I've seen on here. They just don't want to spend the money plain and simple. I know lots of IFR trained Utility guys trying to break into the Canadian IFR market that could probably fly circles around some of theses foreign EX Military guys that have the numbers but that's about it. Your statement hold about as much water as a grain of sand.