The federal government is stepping in to resolve the prolonged shutdowns at ports in British Columbia and Montreal due to Labor negotiations.
At a press conference on November 12, Minister of Labour Stephen McKinnon announced that he had ordered the Canada Labour Relations Board to immediately resume operations at each port and to begin binding arbitration negotiations. The minister said that negotiations at both BC’s ports and the Port of Montreal have reached an impasse and expressed concern that the suspension of operations is not only having a serious impact on supply chains and employment, but is also undermining Canada’s credibility as a trading partner.
A partial strike had been ongoing at the Port of Montreal, Canada’s second-largest port, but the facility had been closed since November 10th after Labor unions rejected a proposal put forward by the company. In BC, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 514, a Labor union representing about 700 site supervisors, had notified them of a strike starting November 4, but the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), which represents the company, blocked the facility in retaliation.
Mediation talks were held on November 9, but broke down within a few hours, and no schedule for further negotiations has been set.
According to the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, the impact of the closure of British Columbia’s ports is estimated to be about $800 million per day, or about $6.1 billion as of November 12.
The ILWU, however, opposes the move, calling it a one-sided government defence of the BCMEA, and is threatening to fight the move in court, arguing that government intervention violates the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike as guaranteed by the Constitution.