by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 12:45 PM ET, Tue September 15, 2026
The possibility of Canada’s airports being sold to private investors is ringing alarm bells at labour organizations across the country. The idea of privatizing Canadian airports is not new, but it seems there is now a serious push to actually make it happen.
CTV News reports that the prime minister called a meeting with MPs yesterday to discuss the subject, with an announcement expected later today. The report states that several MPs on the telephone meeting expressed alarm that the privatization matter was being presented as “Fait Accompli.”
Prime Minister Carney is presently attending the inaugural Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, which has a goal of courting $1 trillion in investment over the next five years for major projects. The summit identified 160 projects in its “deal book” but airports were not among them. This may be because because government currently lacks the legislative authority to do so, although the meeting yesterday may be part of the lead up to such legislation being introduced.
Concern was already been brewing about the possibility, leading members of Unifor to stage a demonstration outside the summit. “Airport workers know from experience that privatization comes at a cost to them and the travelling public and creates worse working conditions across the aviation industry,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“Outsourcing and contract flipping already drive down wages, benefits and working conditions, further public selloffs can only make this crisis worse for airport workers. We have seen over and over again, how the sell off of public infrastructure leaves us more vulnerable economically. If there was ever a time to hold the line and build more public infrastructure, it is now.”
Unifor’s protest is in step with a report published by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) ahead of the summit. Public Runways, Private Profits: Why Airport Privatization Would Be Risky and Costly for Canadians took a look at privatized airports in Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ultimately, the report concludes that private investment in airports results in higher charges, reduced workforce and greater pressure to generate returns for investors.
“Canadians already pay too much to fly. Privatizing our airports risks making that problem worse,” said Lily Chang, Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Private investors need to make a profit, and that money has to come from somewhere. The evidence shows it can come from higher costs for passengers, lower labour costs and staffing, or revenue that would otherwise stay in public hands.”
Currently, Canadian airports run under a not-for-profit model where local airport authorities manage federally owned land via long-term leases. Surpluses are reinvested back into airports, while airport rents return roughly $525 million a year to the federal government.
“We want investment that builds infrastructure, expands our productive capacity, and creates good union jobs. The Investment Summit should be about building and strengthening Canada, not putting public infrastructure on the auction block,” Chang concluded.
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