Air Canada bans 'safety-critical' employees from cannabis use on and off duty

CTVNews.ca Staff</span>
Published Friday, September 28, 2018 4:00PM EDT
Last Updated Friday, September 28, 2018 4:05PM EDT

Air Canada has changed its drug and alcohol policy to ban the recreational use of cannabis products for employees including pilots, flight attendants and maintenance crews, whether on or off duty.

“The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority,” an Air Canada spokesperson told CTV News in an emailed statement. The policy covers everyone in “safety-critical” areas of the company, the company said.

“We are acting out of an abundance of caution based on current understanding of the effects of these drugs, including their after-effects and the potential they can linger in the human system,” Air Canada added.

Marianne Plamondon, a Montreal employment lawyer, told CTV Montreal that the policy raises questions about employee privacy.

For example, “an employee (on) vacation might be using cannabis but there’s no risk for the workplace when he comes back two weeks later,” she said.

More to come...

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