Air Canada strike: Tensions mount as deadline nears [Video]

Air Canada and business leaders are asking Ottawa to be ready to intervene in the airline’s labour talks with its pilots with time running out before a potential shutdown, but so far the government has said the two sides need to work things out themselves.

On Thursday, the airline urged the federal government to be ready to step in with arbitration to avoid the major disruption a shutdown would cause for its more than 110,000 travellers a day.

“While we remain committed to reaching a negotiated settlement with (the Air Line Pilots Association), the federal government should be prepared to intervene if talks fail,” chief executive Michael Rousseau said in a statement.

The airline says it’s pushing for a deal but “unreasonable wage demands” by pilots are holding up talks.

The Air Line Pilots Association, representing more than 5,200 Air Canada pilots, has said it’s corporate greed that’s hindering talks, …