Canada rail shutdown: Labour minister orders binding arbitration to resume railway operations

After a temporary shutdown due to labour disputes between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway, Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon has intervened to order the resumption of activities and the implementation of a binding arbitration process. The minister has used his authority under Section 107 of the Labour Code to ask the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose final binding arbitration. “I have directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to assist the parties in settling the outstanding terms of their collective agreements by imposing final, binding arbitration. I have also directed the board to extend the term of the current collective agreements until new agreements have been signed, and for operations on both railways to resume forthwith,” he said.

• Rail shutdown: Ottawa imposing binding arbitration on parties