Commuters, billions of dollars could be affected by rail strike; Trudeau urges deal

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging the Canadian National Railway (CN), Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and the Teamsters union to reach a deal to prevent an unprecedented railway stoppage that could have an economic impact worth billions of dollars and cause headaches for thousands of commuters.
“My message is very straightforward. It is in the best interest of both sides to continue doing the hard work at the table to find a negotiated resolution,” Trudeau said Wednesday. “Millions of Canadians, of workers, of farmers, of businesses right across the country are counting on both sides to do the work and get to a resolution.”
The prime minister also avoided questions on whether the federal government will intervene.
According to the Railway Association of Canada, affected rails carry more than $1 billion worth of goods each day. More than 32,000 rail commuters in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver will also be impacted if there is a railway stoppage because transit authorities have select commuter lines that run on CPKC tracks. 
As of 12:01 a.m. EDT Thursday, CN and CPKC will start to lockout their workers if they are unable to reach a deal with the Teamsters union, while the union says it is ready to call a strike. This would be the first time Canada’s two main railways could have a simultaneous work stoppage.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is also pushing the parties to strike a deal and stressing the economic impact the stoppage could have.
“I want them to recognize the country has no patience with dilly dallying right now. They can achieve a deal. They need to get a deal done. They need to take their responsibility seriously,” Freeland told reporters on Wednesday.
When asked whether the federal government is considering legislation to end the stoppage, Freeland would not say.
“We know that the best deals are reached at the bargaining table, and I am calling with extreme seriousness on the employers and on the union to roll up their sleeves to get a deal done,” Freeland said. 
Negotiations are ongoing but the parties appear to remain far apart. Labour agreements for both railway companies expired at the end of 2023.
The union claims CPKC wants to “gut the collective agreement of all safety-critical fatigue provisions.”
In response, CPKC says it will focus on a “status quo-style offer” that “does not in any way compromise safety.”
Meanwhile, the union says CN is demanding that work days be extended in western provinces, which they say will create “a fatigue-related safety risk.” They also say CN is attempting to impose a forced relocation policy.
CN says it has put four offers on the table since the start of the year, claiming “none of CN’s offers compromised safety in any way.” In an interview with CTV News Channel on Monday, CN director of public affairs and media relations Jonathan Abecassis said the union only made a counter-proposal this past weekend.
Labour Minister Steven Mackinnon is in Calgary on Wednesday to meet with CN, CPKC and Teamsters in a bid to push all parties to get a deal done and avoid a massive shutdown.
There is growing pressure from the business and agricultural sectors who are calling on the federal government to get more directly involved. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada, Canadian Federation of Independent Business and Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters released a joint statement on Wednesday, urging Ottawa to step in.
“With a full shutdown of Canada’s rail network less than 24 hours away we call on the federal government to take immediate action to ensure the continuation of rail services,” the statement reads. “The Government of Canada has a responsibility to protect the Canadian public and maintain national security, and it is time to act decisively to fulfill that obligation. “
The coalition wants the federal government to use Article 107 of the federal labour code to refer the dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board for binding arbitration. Such a move could prohibit a strike, a lockout or any ongoing stoppage pending a resolution.
But on Monday, Mackinnon gave no indication the federal government would be willing to intervene in collective bargaining negotiations.
“These collective bargaining negotiations belong to CN Rail, CPKC and the TCRC workers alone – but their effects will be borne by all Canadians,” Mackinnon said in a statement.
Last week, Mackinnon also rejected a request from CN to impose binding arbitration.
Back-to-work legislation is another option, but that would require the federal government to bring back Parliament. 
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the federal government should not intervene through either binding arbitration or back-to-work legislation.
“We oppose those vehemently. The government should not be tipping the scales in favour of the big bosses,” Singh told reporters on Monday. “Signalling any sort of intervention favours the big bosses in this case, the employers in this case. That’s wrong.”