B.C. Premier David Eby said Canada’s rail lockout is “terrible news” for families across the province and the impact it will have on British Columbians.
“This is a very big deal for British Columbia and for British Columbians,” Eby said.
“And I really underline the importance of the companies, to sit down with the workers and sincerely work on resolving this as quickly as possible, and even better to just get the trains moving.
Eby added that the word “devastating” is probably an understatement when it comes to the significant impact that the railway closure has in B.C. and across Canada.
The federal government will intervene to try and bring an end to the labour dispute that brought Canada’s rail network to a grinding halt Thursday, Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon said.
Speaking in Ottawa less than 24 hours after thousands of unionized workers at the country’s two main railway companies were locked out, McKinnon said he will use his powers under the Canada Labour Code to “secure industrial peace” and impose final, binding arbitration.
The minister said the action will help Canadian National Railway (CN), Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and the Teamsters Canada Railway Conference (TCRC) union settle outstanding terms in their negotiations for a new collective agreement that he said has reached a “fundamental impasse.”
Eby said that the B.C. government will continue to work with the railway industry in the province to provide any support it can.