Canada's transport minister won't intervene in rail dispute, Sask. calls for action to avoid strike
The federal government said it won't intervene in the rail dispute that has the Ministry of Agriculture and other groups worried about a possible strike.
The government of Saskatchewan, CN Rail, and a number of business leaders have called on the federal government to step in with binding arbitration.
In a letter to Teamsters Canada Rail, Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said it would not intervene.
"I would like to clarify that it is your shared responsibility — Canadian National Railways Company and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference — to negotiate in good faith and work diligently towards a new collective agreement," MacKinnon wrote in the letter.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and CN Rail said they'll lock out workers if an agreement with its union can't be reached by Thursday.
Negotiations have been ongoing for months, but little progress has been made towards a deal.
More than ten leaders in the agriculture industry — including Canpotex, Fertilizer Canada, and Strathcona Resources — joined the government of Saskatchewan for a press conference, united in their concerns about a strike.
"Simply put, the impending rail stoppage would be disastrous," Terry Youzwa, representing Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, said.
Stakeholders worried a strike would spike already high food prices and damage Canada's trade relationship on the global stage.
"When grain doesn't move, farmers don't get paid. It means fewer foreign dollars that can enter the Canadian economy, so the impacts are going to be felt by Canadian consumers at the grocery store — both in terms of price and supply," Wade Sobkowich, with the Western Grain Elevator Association, said.
Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit is hopeful movement can be made at the bargaining table to avoid a full stop at the rails.
"This has the impact of every citizen of this country — not just a farmer, or a rancher, or an oil company, or a potash mine," Marit said, urging Ottawa to act ahead of the planned lockout.
"There's still time for the parties to get back to the table. There's still time for the federal government to implement actions."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7033216.1726021317!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
FACT CHECK: A look at the false and misleading claims made during the Trump-Harris debate
In their first and perhaps only debate, former U.S. president Donald Trump and U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris described the state of the country in starkly different terms. As the two traded jabs, some old false and misleading claims emerged along with some new ones.
Key takeaways from a debate that featured tense clashes and closed with a Taylor Swift endorsement
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other on the debate stage for the first — and possibly the last — time.
Some restaurants have increased their default tip options. Canadians think you should give this much
Despite what the default options on the payment terminal might read, most Canadians still want to tip around 15 per cent, according to a new survey.
Calls for more protections for Canadian bank clients amid rise in scams
When two Ontario women were scammed out of more than $80,000 in separate bank investigator scams, they thought they would be reimbursed by their banks and were shocked when they weren't.
Quebec woman wins MAID case to die at home after legal fight with landlord
A woman who requested medical assistance in dying (MAID) won a major case in front of the Quebec rental board. She wanted to die at home, but her landlord didn't want her to.
'EI kind of folks': Cape Breton MP criticized for comment about Atlantic Canadians
Nova Scotia Liberal MP Jaime Battiste is taking some heat for a remark about Atlantic Canadians.
Harris-Trump U.S. presidential debate offers different visions for America's future
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump made their case to American voters during a debate in Philadelphia, during which the Democratic U.S. vice president and former Republican U.S. president laid out different visions for America's future.
Trump repeats false claims over 2020 election loss, deflects responsibility for Jan. 6
Former U.S. president Donald Trump persisted in saying during the presidential debate that he won the 2020 election and took no responsibility for any of the mayhem that unfolded at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the building to block the peaceful transfer of power.
Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for U.S. president after debate ends
Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after the debate ended on Tuesday night.