It came about 17 hours too late for most of Canada’s rail shippers, but agriculture, industry and business groups were offering a rare show of praise — and relief — for the Liberal government’s last minute decision to forcibly end Thursday’s rail strike.Although workers at both major railways were ostensibly back on the job Friday morning, pickets were still up at CPKC head offices in Calgary on Friday morning until the union receives formal written notice of Labour Minister Steven McKinnon’s decision to impose binding arbitration under Section 107 of the Labour Code.But that’s considered a mere formality to restoring $1 billion per day in shipments of various products and commodities spanning the entire Canadian economy..The Grain Growers of Canada said although it was relived the stoppage had ended, the government had weeks — if not a full year — to prevent it from happening in the first place. It urged all parties to take immediate action to “get Canada’s railways back on track.”“We welcome Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon’s announcement that the government is directing the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to impose final binding arbitration,” it said.“However, negotiating parties have yet to reach an agreement on resumption of activities, despite clear directives from the government. For the good of Canada’s food, economic, and national security, we are calling on all parties to abide by yesterday’s directives and to work with, not against, the CIRB to resume railway service.”Likewise, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association of Canada said it was “pleased” with the decision to intervene, but cautioned on the dame a prolonged stoppage would have caused.“The wind down of rail services over the last several days culminating in the full stoppage this morning has inflicted significant supply chain and operational challenges for manufacturers across the country — issues that will take days if not weeks to resolve,” it said. “A prolonged stoppage would have imposed enormous costs on Canadian business and workers.”.That sentiment was shared by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade which was a loud and vocal critic of the federal government’s decision not to intervene in last summer’s British Columbia port strike.“A prolonged work stoppage would have been disastrous for our national economy and our reputation as a trading partner,” it said in a statement on its web site“This work stoppage had been brewing for months, and millions worth of goods and products had already been diverted from Canada as companies prepared for it. We are also not fully out of the woods as other labour disputes are threatening our west coast ports. Moving forward, we urge the federal government to use this example to establish a framework for future actions for other nationally significant sectors.”.For all her warnings and urging the Liberal government to act, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was uncharacteristically mum on the issue, rehashing a previous Twitter (“X”) post.“I’m pleased to see that Minister of Labour, Steven MacKinnon, has taken action and directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to do this. Regular operations must resume immediately. Alberta’s government will continue monitoring to ensure that happens.”
