Arbitrator rules in favor of Air Canada pilots who were refused religious exemptions for COVID shots

The group, known as Free to Fly, which has advocated for affected workers discriminated against for refusing to go along with the COVID-19 jab policy, announced the news on Wednesday.

“Today, seven Air Canada pilots won their arbitration over denial of religious exemptions for C19 jabs, and were awarded compensation. Portions of their testimonies are in the ruling – a must read, link below,” noted the group on X.

Arbitrator James Hayes, in his ruling, stated, “All of the grievors testified honestly and the substantive nexus between their religious beliefs and objections to the employer mandatory vaccination policy was manifest.”

Hayes wrote that for each of the seven grievors, the Air Canada union “has made out a prima facie case of workplace religious discrimination pursuant to the Collective Agreement and the Canadian Human Rights Act. And I so declare.”

The seven grievors, noted Hayes, instead of being let go by the airline for refusing to get the COVID shots, instead should have been “placed on initial paid leaves of absence, as had been their pilot colleagues granted exemptions at the outset.”

Hayes directed that Air Canada “compensate the grievors commensurately within 60 days and remain seized in the unlikely event that calculation of those damages becomes an issue.”

“The ‘duty to accommodate’ aspect of all of the grievances remains outstanding and will continue in due course on request,” he wrote.

In October 2021, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced unprecedented COVID-19 jab mandates for all federal workers and those in the transportation sector, saying the unjabbed would no longer be able to travel by air, boat, or train, both domestically and internationally.

This policy resulted in thousands losing their jobs or being placed on leave for non-compliance.

Air Canada Captain Colin Finlay, a Catholic, noted how his faith prevented him from getting the COVID shots due to their connection to aborted fetal cells.

“God speaks to us in many ways through a well-formed moral conscience and often we can be to distracted to listen. But in this case, I heard Him clearly in my heart and soul: that to take the vaccine would be to go against His will for me,” wrote Finlay.

Finlay noted that his conscience, “shaped and guided by my Catholic faith, would not allow it.”

“For me, this was not a matter of personal preference or politics. It was a matter of obedience to God and fidelity to my Catholic faith,” he wrote.

Air Canada Captain Christopher Olson, who is Christian, had objected to COVID shots due to the fact fetal cell lines from aborted babies were used in the making of the COVID shots.

“My faith is with me at all times and informs all of my decisions, including decisions about what I allow into my body. Therefore, as companies around Canada began discussing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies, I immediately recognized the potential conflict with my faith,” noted Olson.

Hayes ruled that he found Olson and Finlay’s, as well as the five other pilots’, reasoning for wanting a religious objection to the COVID shots were “sincere.”

“I find without hesitation that Captain Olson’s objection to vaccination was grounded in sincere religious conviction,” ruled Hayes.

Many pilots and airline workers lost their jobs as a result but have fought back via lawsuits.

LifeSiteNews has published an extensive amount of reporting on the dangers of the experimental COVID mRNA jabs, which include heart damage and blood clots.

The mRNA shots have also been linked to a multitude of negative and often severe side effects in children, and all have connections to cell lines derived from aborted babies.

Free to Fly had launched a class-action lawsuit against the federal government seeking full compensation over its vaccine mandate for aviation.

There have been other legal victories. Last year, a union working on behalf of Canadian pilots, flight attendants, and other aviation workers who were persecuted for refusing COVID shots said an arbitrator awarded financial compensation to those who were “harmed” by the nation’s largest airline’s vaccine policy.

Last year as well, Canada’s second-largest airline, WestJet, was ordered by a judge to compensate one of its employees who refused to take the COVID shot and was “wrongfully terminated.”

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Featured image source: https://financialpost.com/transportation/airlines/what-we-know-air-canada-deal-pilots

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