Hours after Air Canada flight attendants went on strike and the airline paused all flights, Canada's government intervened and ordered operations to resume.

Canada’s government has forced Air Canada and the union representing flight attendants into arbitration after a work stoppage stranded more than 100,000 travelers around the world during the peak summer travel season.

Canadian Labor Minister Patty Hajdu said on Friday that she met jointly with Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), urging both sides to work harder and remain at the negotiating table to reach a deal and avert a potential strike.

The Canadian carrier said it expects to call off 500 flights by the end of Friday. Air Canada said it was suspending its schedule and trying to get passengers booked with other airlines to limit disruptions.

Air Canada wants to reinforce the gender wage gap by forcing Air Canada flight attendants – 70% of whom identify as women – to accept a wage offer less than one-third what Air Canada offered its pilots less than a year ago.

The Canadian government has urged Air Canada and its flight attendants' union to restart contract negotiations, with a threatened work stoppage that could disrupt travel for tens of thousands just hours away unless there is a resolution to the dispute.