ANALYSIS: As a Strike Looms in Canada’s $380B Rail Sector, Here Are the Crucial Policy Decisions at Play

Published on August 16, 2024

The threat of a labour shutdown of all rail services in Canada could have devastating impacts on commerce, renewing calls by some for policies to prevent such potential disruptions, while others argue maintaining labour bargaining power is crucial. As the labour dispute drags out between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and both the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the companies say they will start locking out workers on Aug. 22 if a deal is not reached. The Teamsters are also prepared to call a strike for that date. The dispute was put on pause in May when then-Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan asked the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to consider whether rail was a service essential to health and safety. On Aug. 9, the CIRB decided no commodity was so necessary as to override the right to collective bargaining....

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