The federal government has served notice even before Air Canada’s flight attendants walk off the job that it will bring in back-to-work legislation.

Labour Minister Lisa Raitt made the announcement Monday, citing the potential economic costs if the airline was forced to curb its flight schedule.

“If there is a work stoppage and Air Canada is disrupted . . . 65,000 Canadians will be stranded or left in a destination that is not their home,” she said.

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said a negotiated agreement is preferable to back to work legislation for all parties.

“Talks are progressing. We’re close and committed to reaching a negotiated agreement,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’ve shown that we can achieve negotiated settlements, and Parliament should be left to running the country.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 6,800 flight attendants, has set a strike deadline of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Union and company officials were summoned to a meeting with Raitt Monday afternoon in Ottawa, while negotiations continued in Montreal.

Both sides said they were “hopeful” of a negotiated settlement, but they couldn’t guarantee that a strike would not occur, Raitt said.

That’s what prompted the government to put notice of back-to-work legislation on the legislative calendar.

“It’s the best thing to do for the economy, it’s the best thing to do for the Canadian public and it’s the best thing to do for the airline and indeed the airline workers,” Raitt said.

“The best way to pre-empt a strike is for those two parties to get a deal. It is their responsibility to get a deal and they are close enough,” Raitt said, adding she’s still hopeful of an agreement.

She denied the government was interfering in collective bargaining, saying the prolonged negotiations have had an “ample amount of time for a contract to come to fruition.”

In June, when Air Canada’s customer service agents, represented by the Canadian Auto Workers, walked off the job, Raitt also threatened to legislate strikers back to work, even though there were few flight delays.

The CAW, which represents customer-service agents, quickly settled with the company just before legislation was about to be tabled.

In this case, the earliest the legislation could take effect is Wednesday.

Raitt conceded there is a window when a strike could occur and flights disrupted, especially if the legislation is delayed by opposition parties.

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NDP MP Yvon Godin denounced the government move but said it was too early to say whether his party would launch a parliamentary filibuster like the one that delayed passage of legislation to end a Canada Post lockout in June.

“They’re taking rights away from the working people. Where is that right of free bargaining?” Godin said.

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