Canada Supply Chain May Grind to Halt
We seldom write about Canada, so when we do, there is a big enough news story to justify doing so.
It seems the Teamsters union cannot come to agreements with Canadian National Railway Company and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, leading to potential events that put the nation’s economy at the risk of a significant slowdown.
Details
Both sides are playing hardball, with the two companies threatening a lockout and the union threatening a strike.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is watching the situation closely, hoping that it will be resolved.
“My message has been straightforward: It is in the best interest of both sides to continue doing the hard work at the table to find a negotiated resolution,” Trudeau told reporters. “Millions of Canadians — workers, farmers, businesses — right across the country are counting on both sides to do the work and get to a resolution.”
The threat of logistical work not being done up north also impacts the United States. Canada provided the USA with almost $430 billion worth of goods in 2023, including oil, vehicles, and plastics. Numerous truckers in the United States travel up there, and the same applies to Canadian truckers traveling down here.
If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, the strike/lockout will begin on August 22nd.
Conclusion
Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon has met with both sides of the dispute, and will do so again on August 21st. He is hoping to avert a crisis on an international scale as the clock is ticking down to when the work stops.
If the strike goes through, Canadians and Americans alike will have a lot more to worry about than just a simple shortage of maple syrup.
While the Canadian government is hoping for the situation to resolve itself at the bargaining table, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland declined to comment as to whether or not government officials would step in if the going were to get tough.
“I want them to roll up their sleeves to recognize Canadians need them to get this done, to reach a deal so we can keep on moving forward,” she said.
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