News Desk

The Advocate Post: An industrial dispute which halted the operations of two major railways in Canada and possibly causing the supply chains – Canadian National Railway, and Canadian Pacific Kansas City – is quickly being attempted to be solved by the country’s federal government. Labour Minister Steve McKinnon announced that railway operations are expected to resume “within days” after sending both parties to final binding arbitration.

The dispute, which saw nearly 9,300 workers locked out on Thursday due to a failed agreement with the Teamsters union, threatened to disrupt the transport of goods such as grains, coal, and timber. Given that about 75% of Canada’s exports to the US are transported by rail, a prolonged shutdown could have had significant economic impacts.

McKinnon emphasized the importance of Canada’s railways to workers, farmers, commuters, and businesses, and stressed the government’s responsibility to maintain industrial peace in this vital sector. Although the government supports collective bargaining, it invoked its authority under Canada’s Labour Code to keep critical goods and trade flowing. The Canada Industrial Relations Board will now oversee the disputes and temporarily extend current collective agreement terms to allow workers to return.

Negotiations had stalled despite months of talks, with both railways and the union blaming each other for the deadlock. CN and CPKC had requested binding arbitration, with CN expressing satisfaction over the mediation process and CPKC’s CEO acknowledging the government’s intervention to safeguard national interests.