The Canadian government brought the Air Canada strike to a screeching halt Saturday by imposing binding arbitration on the airline and its flight attendants.

The move came less than 12 hours after Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job, at 1 a.m. Saturday, after months of stalled negotiations over a new contract.

Canada’s labor policy minister, Patty Hajdu, said she met with both sides Friday night and determined there was a low likelihood of a near-term deal. 3

“They are so far apart on a number of issues that they are going to need some help,” she told the Wall Street Journal.

“This is not a decision that I’ve taken lightly, but the potential for immediate negative impact on Canadians and our economy is simply too great,” she said.

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