Trains across the country have ground to a halt as 9,300 workers were locked out by Canada’s two main rail operators after they failed to agree on a new contract by a 12:01 a.m. deadline.
This is the first simultaneous work stoppage at Canadian National Railway Company (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP).
According to the Railway Association of Canada, the work stoppage halts about a billion freight traffic per day, some of which was stopped preemptively to prevent goods from being backed up in the event of a work stoppage.
Transit officials said some commuter lines that use Canadian Pacific tracks in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver would be suspended.
Business groups have called on the government to intervene by imposing compulsory arbitration and banning strikes and lockouts during the process.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on both sides to reach an agreement at the negotiating table.