Quebec asks Ottawa to intervene on possible rail strike
Although there are hopes that the labour dispute in the rail sector will be settled by Thursday, several Quebec ministers are putting pressure on Ottawa to intervene if a strike or lockout is called.
"I hope that the parties reach an agreement by tomorrow, but if there is no agreement by tomorrow, I am asking Justin Trudeau to have the courage to take action. This is too important for Quebec's economy,"' said Premier François Legault as he arrived at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
More than 9,000 workers at the country's two largest railways, Canadian National Railway Company (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), could go on strike Wednesday night at midnight if no agreement is reached.
CPKC workers have filed a strike notice that would see them walk off the job at 00:01 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday. CN, for its part, intends to lock out its employees at the same time unless an agreement or binding arbitration is reached by then.
"Potentially devastating" impacts
The companies' trains carry a combined $1 billion worth of goods every day, according to the Railway Association of Canada.
This situation has prompted Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet to say that the strike could have a "potentially devastating impact" on "the supply of goods and merchandise" in Quebec.
"Above all, we must not hold the economy hostage," he said while assuring the province that he had confidence in the mediation process being carried out by the two parties concerned.
"The whole supply chain could be jeopardized... So it's certain that the parties have to come to an agreement, and if they don't, we need a federal government that will be agile enough to act quickly," said André Lamontagne, Quebec's minister of agriculture, fisheries and food.
Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault said she was in contact with her federal counterpart, Pablo Rodriguez.
"We want the two parties to reach an agreement, but if that doesn't happen - because we're getting close to the strike deadline - we want the federal government to step up the pressure and invest even more in resolving this problem," she said.
"It's having a major impact. I think this has to be resolved by Thursday. I think the federal government will get involved. We've had indirect discussions," said Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 21, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7034258.1726084302!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'An unfortunate waste of resources': Ontario woman facing criminal charge following water gun incident
A Simcoe, Ont. woman is facing an assault with a weapon charge after she said that she accidentally sprayed her neighbour with a water gun over the Labour Day weekend, a situation that at least one legal expert says amounts to an ‘unfortunate waste of resources.’
Famous Winston Churchill portrait, stolen in Ottawa, is found
Ottawa's Chateau Laurier hotel says authorities have recovered an iconic photograph of Winston Churchill after it was stolen and replaced with a fake nearly three years ago.
Billionaire steps out of SpaceX capsule for first private spacewalk hundreds of miles above Earth
A billionaire kicked off the first private spacewalk Thursday, teaming up with SpaceX on the daring endeavour hundreds of miles above Earth.
Consul general to New York to answer questions over $9M luxury condo purchase
After weeks of pressure, Canada's consul general Tom Clark will testify on Thursday before a House of Commons committee about the purchase of his new official residence in New York that generated a lot of political attention over the summer.
What passengers need to know about their rights ahead of a potential Air Canada pilots strike
While Air Canada has shared advice for travellers ahead of a possible pilots strike, an airline passenger rights advocate has more tips for Canadians who may be affected.
Buckingham Palace guard's distinctive bearskin caps under fire by animal rights group
An animal rights group trying to get real fur out of the bearskin caps worn by King's Guards at Buckingham Palace took aim Thursday at the cost of the ceremonial garb.
Ontario woman misses flight to funeral due to airline ticket typo
An Ontario woman admits she was flustered and stressed trying to book an airline ticket when she found out a close relative had died last month.
Dollarama keeping an eye on competitors as Loblaw launches new ultra-discount chain
Dollarama Inc.'s food aisles may have expanded far beyond sweet treats or piles of gum by the checkout counter in recent years, but its chief executive maintains his company is 'not in the grocery business,' even if it's keeping an eye on the sector.
OPP constable charged after alleged assault at Santa's Village
A woman has been charged with assault following an incident at an amusement park in Bracebridge.