Industry Braces for Looming ‘Catastrophe’ as Strikes Threaten Canadian Rail Transport Worth $380B Annually

OTTAWA—North American industry groups and shippers are bracing for an unprecedented simultaneous stoppage at both of Canada’s main railway companies that could inflict billions of dollars’ worth of economic damage. Canada is the world’s second-largest country by area and relies heavily on trains to transport grain, beans, automobiles, potash, coal and other goods. “It’s a catastrophe. Literally nothing would move,” said Greg Northey, vice president of public affairs at Pulse Canada. Talks between Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City on one hand and the Teamsters union on the other have deadlocked, with each side accusing the other of bad faith....