Canada Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon speaks with media during a news conference, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s labor minister said Tuesday he is intervening to end lockouts of workers at the country’s two biggest ports.
Labor Minister Steven Mackinnon said the negotiations have reached an impasse and he is directing the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order the resumption of all operations at the ports of Vancouver and Montreal and move the talks to binding arbitration.
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FEATURED STORIES BUSINESS BIZ BUZZ: Trouble at the PSC BUSINESS PH ʼ24 tourism arrivals forecast cut to 6M BUSINESS Stiff airline competition drags PAL performancePort of Montreal’s workers were locked out Sunday and workers in Vancouver on the Pacific Coast have been locked out since Nov. 4.
“There is a limit to the economic self destruction that Canadians are prepared to accept,” MacKinnon said. “In the face of economic self destruction there is an obligation to intervene. As minister of labor that responsibility falls to me.”
Article continues after this advertisementMacKinnon said $1.3 billion Canadian dollars ($930 million) of goods is affected every day. He said it was impacting supply chains, the economy and Canada’s reputation as reliable trading partner.
Article continues after this advertisementBusiness groups had been calling for government intervention to get the flow of goods moving again.
Article continues after this advertisementThe move to end the stoppages comes after the government stepped in to end halted operations at Canada’s two main railways in August.
MacKinnon says he hopes operations can be restored in a matter of days.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Maritime Employers Association locked out 1,200 longshore workers at the Port of Montreal on Sunday after workers voted to reject what employers called a final contract offer. The workers were seeking raises of 20% over four years.
The job action came after port workers in British Columbia were locked out amid a labor dispute involving more than 700 longshore supervisors, resulting in a paralysis of container cargo traffic at terminals on the West Coast.
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