The Canola Council of Canada (CCC), Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) and Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA) welcome action by the federal government to invoke section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to order CN, CPKC and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference to final binding arbitration, a resumption of rail service and an extension of the current agreements until new agreements are finalized.
The CCC, CCGA and COPA have been calling for government intervention ahead of a possible work stoppage along with other industry partners across the grains sector. The #StopTheStrike campaign has been an important avenue to highlight the economic harm of a rail work stoppage on the sector and canola value chain specifically.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) must move swiftly to implement the ministerial order. It is imperative that a resumption of activities on Canada’s Class I railways happens as soon as possible. With farmers harvesting their crops, time is of the essence to get the railways running.
While this action by the government is a positive development, this situation was avoidable. Moving forward, the government and political parties of all stripes must find a long-term solution to ensure this type of event does not happen again.