Calgary (Rural Roots Canada) – Agricultural groups are welcoming the federal government’s intervention in the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and the Canadian National Railways (CN) rail strike.
In a joint statement, the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA), along with the National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NFCA) expressed their appreciation for federal Labour Minister Steven McKinnon’s decision to refer the dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to impose binding arbitration, under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.
“The impacts from this rail strike stand to not only impact the beef sector but our entire trading relationships. After discussions with our North American beef industry counterparts this week, we are pleased to see this move, to get the economy moving again and continue to the flow of goods with our trading partners,” stated CCA President Nathan Phinney. “We continue to call on the government to deem agriculture and agri-food an essential service so that there are no disruptions in the future.”
“We are grateful Canada’s trains will be moving again soon. The Canadian beef industry relies upon the timely delivery of cattle feed by rail to feed our national herd consisting of millions of animals. Cattle are on a very specific feeding schedule and the wellbeing of animals is at risk if there are even brief delays in feed delivery,” stated Janice Tranberg, NCFA President & CEO.
PREVIOUS: Farmers Warn of Devastating Impact of Potential Canadian Rail Strike
In a separate statement, Fertilizer Canada also thanked McKinnon for taking action to get the lockout resolved quickly.
“We are pleased to see the government’s acknowledgement of the need for short and long-term solutions and its commitment to investigating the issues leading to the dual rail strike,” it reads.
“Protecting our supply chains is vital in maintaining our competitiveness and reputation as a reliable trading partner. As noted by the government, it is crucial our potash reliably reaches our customers to ensure they do not have to turn to competitors like Russia, Belarus, and China,” it adds.
CPKC and CN Rail locked out more than 9,300 engineers, conductors and yard workers after negotiations failed earlier this week.
