Shippers are calling on Ottawa to better protect supply chains against labor disruptions after a 15-month series of work stoppages.
In an open letter to the federal government on Friday, leaders of 10 industry groups demanded that political leaders take action to ease the threat of strikes in major transportation hubs and arteries.
The organizations, which range from the Chamber of Marine Commerce to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, say recent strike action has damaged employers, the economy and the country’s reputation as a reliable trading partner. .
“Our supply chains have been put to the test in recent years, and it is becoming inconceivable for a country like Canada to see its economy weaken with each collective agreement negotiation,” said Karl Blackburn, president of the Council of Quebec employers, in interview.
He and other signatories asked the government to consider how to balance workers’ rights with maintaining essential transport services, although the letter does not offer any policy proposals.
“We are reluctant to give prescriptive suggestions on the direction to take,” said Jason Card, spokesperson for the Chamber of Maritime Commerce.
He highlighted two key federal government levers for resolving disputes: back-to-work legislation and the Minister of Labor’s directives for the country’s labor court to impose binding arbitration.
Some experts say both options risk undermining workers’ collective bargaining rights. Mr. Card qualifies that the negotiation mechanisms amounted to “discretionary measures that politicize supply chains” and offer little predictability.
“You pit the interests of workers against the interests of consumers and businesses and often against our own quality of life,” he said.
Canada’s marine supply chain has experienced several labor disruptions over the past four years, in addition to backlogs and bottlenecks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two main railways ceased operations for several days in August due to a lockout caused by strike threats, which disrupted freight and shuttle traffic across the country.
In October 2023, an eight-day strike by St. Lawrence Seaway lock workers halted shipments of grain, iron ore and gasoline along the trade corridor.
A strike by 7,400 British Columbia longshore workers lasted 13 days in July 2023, crippling the country’s largest port and costing the economy billions of dollars.
In Montreal, longshoremen struck for five days in April 2021 and August 2020 in an action that left 11,500 containers languishing on the waterfront. Most recently, last week, 320 of them went on a three-day partial strike.