The National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees says if he has to go to jail in order to uphold the rights of his members and to get them a better deal, “then so be it.”

The Canadian Industrial Relations Board has deemed the current strike involving Air Canada’s flight attendants illegal.

Federal minister of jobs, Patty Hajdu this weekend directed the CIRB to order striking workers back to work and send both sides to binding arbitration.

The union is defying the order and maintaining picket lines, forcing the airline to suspend its plans to restart operations, leaving thousands of air travelers scrambling.

A defiant Mark Hancock addressed reporters in Toronto today.

“We’re going to stay strong, we’re going to stay committed to making sure that those workers can do the job that they love doing and actually be able to afford a roof over their heads…and if it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it. If it means our union being fined, then so be it. We’re looking for a solution here…but that solution has to be found at a bargaining table.”