08/22/2024 – 15:48
The Canadian government is facing growing pressure to intervene and end a simultaneous strike by workers at the country’s two main railways – Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials “would have more to say soon” about how the government intends to handle the labor dispute. He did not elaborate and did not respond to questions.
A prolonged shutdown could have repercussions in Canada and beyond, analysts warn. Anderson Economic Group, a consultancy specializing in assessing losses from strikes and global conflicts, estimates that a seven-day shutdown at Canadian National and CPKC could cost the Canadian and U.S. economies more than $1 billion. Canada would be hit the hardest. The consultancy added that beyond seven days, “the impact on the U.S. and Canada would be much worse,” putting acute strains on the agriculture, manufacturing and energy sectors.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the country’s advocacy group for small and medium-sized businesses, said its members may have to halt operations as they are unable to receive goods to serve customers.
Air Canada
In another flashpoint, Air Canada pilots voted to strike if necessary to break an impasse with the airline over a new contract. The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents more than 5,400 pilots at the flag carrier, said 98 per cent of pilots voted in favour of calling a strike. The pilots have threatened to walk off the job as early as mid-September if no agreement is reached during that period, which would hurt air travel in the country.
Negotiations for a new deal began in the middle of last year, and talks entered private mediation in January in a process that stretched into June, when the union filed a notice of dispute after the sides failed to reach consensus on a new collective agreement.
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