As Air Canada cancelled flights on Thursday ahead of a possible flight attendants' strike, the union representing those workers accused the federal jobs minister of speaking "on behalf" of the company amid a contentious labour dispute.

Air Canada began canceling flights Thursday ahead of a possible strike by its flight attendants that could impact hundreds of thousands of travelers. A complete shutdown of the country's largest airline threatens to impact about 130,000 people a day.

Air Canada started canceling flights on Thursday ahead of a possible work stoppage by flight attendants that could affect hundreds of thousands of travelers.