MONTREAL - Air Canada's flight attendants have given their strike notice and could be off the job as early as Wednesday.

The notification was delivered to a federal mediator Friday evening, and sets the clock ticking for a showdown between 6,000 flight attendants and Air Canada (TSX:AC.A).

There's still a possibility that the two sides can reach a deal ahead of the deadline.

Earlier in the day, federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said she would call both sides for a meeting in Ottawa if no deal was reached by the weekend.