From ALPA International to all our friends, members, and staff in Canada: Happy Thanksgiving! This weekend, as we join our Canadian colleagues to reflect on how and why we are so fortunate, we should be grateful for the generations of pilots who came before us who established and built this great union. Their legacy is ours to defend and build upon, not only for ourselves but for future generations of airline pilots.

Our union was founded on the core principle of democracy, and the achievements we have made over the decades have been through the ability to choose, solidarity, and plain hard work.

It seems fitting this year that Canada’s advance polling for the upcoming elections falls during the Thanksgiving holiday. For airline pilots who will be flying on October 19, Canada’s official Election Day, this weekend (October 9-12) provides the opportunity to participate in the democratic process at local electoral districts across the country.

By Capt. Dan Adamus, ALPA Canada Board President

As the largest nongovernmental aviation safety organization in the world, ALPA has long asserted that the best safety feature of any airplane is a well-trained, well-rested, highly motivated flight crew. For years, ALPA’s Canada Board has joined together with Canadian officials and aviation stakeholders in a tremendous effort to develop flight-and duty-time regulations and minimum-rest requirements for airline pilots that are based on sound science.