WestJet ‘non-partisan,’ will revisit policy after Poilievre speech on PA system: CEO

OTTAWA — The CEO of WestJet says the company will revisit its policy after the airline faced backlash for allowing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to speak on the PA system on a recent flight.

OTTAWA — The CEO of WestJet says the company will revisit its policy after the airline faced backlash for allowing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to speak on the PA system on a recent flight. 

A video circulating online shows Poilievre making short remarks on a Sunday night flight that was leaving Quebec City for Calgary after the Conservative Party of Canada’s convention. 

Poilievre’s campaign-style speech lasts for about 45 seconds and is met with laughter and cheers from passengers. 

The airline’s top executive, Alexis von Hoensbroech, said the flight was added specifically for the convention and was largely filled with Conservative delegates who were attending the event. 

“The leader of the party was given the opportunity to greet delegates onboard (which is not unusual), but this was not a political endorsement nor should it be interpreted as such. We are non-partisan by nature and will revisit our policy on this,” von Hoensbroech said on Wednesday in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

The union representing WestJet cabin crew is demanding an apology from the airline over the incident. 

CUPE Alberta’s local president Alia Hussain said it’s “very disappointing” that the airline allowed a politician to use the PA system. 

“It is doubly disappointing that WestJet is now trying to assign blame on the cabin crew for this event,” Hussein said in a statement Tuesday on X.

Hussain said the cabin crew had no input in the decision to allow Poilievre to speak and that the airline’s rules say only crew members can use the system.

Hussain is demanding an apology from WestJet for blaming crew members and says both the airline and Poilievre showed poor judgment.

A spokeswoman for WestJet said in a statement that two flights were added between Quebec City and Western Canada to meet the demand from the convention, something the airline said it not unusual. 

“The use of the PA microphone onboard our aircraft, while infrequent, may be approved occasionally, for unique occasions and individuals, like this one,” said Julia Kaiser. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2023. 

Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press