Canada rail strike: Trudeau says feds ‘on it’

As pressure mounts for federal intervention as Canada’s two biggest railways grind to an unprecedented halt, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will have more to say “shortly” on what it’s doing “to make sure that the right solution is found quickly for the economy.”

“We’re taking it so seriously. The minister is engaged directly. We are not taking this lightly, obviously, because Canadians across the country are worried about it,” Trudeau said Thursday in Sherbrooke, Que. in front of a manufacturer that will be impacted if the shutdown continues much longer.

“That’s something that is an impact right across the country, from workers, to businesses, to farmers, to consumers, who are going to be impacted. That’s why we are on this,” Trudeau said.

Unable to reach a deal, the Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) locked out their workers early Thursday morning in a first-ever simultaneous work stoppage. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference has issued a strike notice at CPKC but not at CN.

In a statement Thursday morning, CN said that “without an agreement or binding arbitration, CN has no choice but to finalize a safe and orderly shutdown and proceed with a lockout.” 

The union, meanwhile, said that after months of “good-faith negotiations,” safety-related issues remain its focus.

“Neither CN nor CPKC has relented on their push to weaken protections around rest periods and scheduling, increasing the risk of fatigue-related safety issues,” Teamsters Canada’s statement reads. 

“CN also continues to demand a forced relocation scheme, which could see workers ordered to move across the country, tearing families apart in the process.”

Speaking to reporters earlier, Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the fastest way to get workers back to work, through a negotiated agreement.

“That is also the best possible outcome for the appropriate relationship that needs to take place over the years between the unions and the two businesses,” Duclos said.

According to the Railway Association of Canada, the critical transport lines impacted by the shutdown carry more than $1 billion worth of goods each day. More than 32,000 rail commuters in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are also being impacted, as regional transit authorities have select commuter lines that run on CPKC tracks.

Contract talks are ongoing Thursday in Montreal and Calgary.

Labour Minister Steven Mackinnon’s office says he continues to follow the matter closely and is “in meetings all day on this extremely important situation.” Late last night he told CTV News that the issues between the two sides “remained significant.” 

Criticized for not acting to prevent the unprecedented shutdown, there are ongoing calls from big business groups for the federal government to step in, either through enacting labour code provisions referring the dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board for binding arbitration, or back-to-work legislation.

Back-to-work-legislation would require the federal government to recall Parliament, which is currently on a summer break until mid-September. The minority Liberals would also have to secure support for the legislation from another political party, a prospect that right now is uncertain.

This is a developing story, check back for updates…