A container ship docks in the Port of Vancouver on November 20, 2021.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Canadian Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan met with British Columbia Labor Minister Harry Bains in Vancouver on Wednesday to discuss the fifth day of strikes at the country’s west coast ports.
Government sources told CNBC that O’Regan and Baines met and urged both sides to work together to find a solution.
Asked whether the administration was considering such a step, the Labor secretary’s office told CNBC: “We’re not going beyond the negotiating table because that’s where the best deals are made. Federal mediators continue to support the parties’ positions .”negotiation”.
In the case of the May 2021 strike at the Port of Montreal, calls for government intervention have been circulating.
This week, Alberta’s transportation minister called on the federal government to recall parliament to consider back-to-work legislation to end strikes at British Columbia ports.
Since Canada’s parliament is not currently in session, MPs will have to be recalled, which will take several days, the source explained. While remote voting is possible, a certain quorum is required in the room for voting to take place.
On Tuesday, the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Federation and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association both said they were suspending talks, with each blaming the other for the standstill.
Both ILWU and BCMEA told CNBC they are in separate meetings with mediators.
In a statement, the ILWU said the BCMEA “has vandalism“Progress in outsourcing maintenance work.
The BCMEA said, “Assuming Canada’s ILWU is ready to put forward a reasonable proposal, it remains “ready to return to the negotiating table immediately”. We hope to reach a fair and balanced agreement so that ports can be opened and goods can start flowing as soon as possible.”
Included in the labor conflict are the Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, which together handle and ship nearly 20 percent of U.S. trade. Products processed through these ports include critical auto parts such as brakes and other automotive and manufacturing components, holiday items and consumer goods.
An estimated $19 billion in trade is stuck at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert due to the strike, a figure that is expected to increase every day as more ships bound for those ports are forced to anchor.
VesselsValue senior trade analyst Charlotte Cook told CNBC that “vessel traffic and turnaround times are expected to increase due to strikes and congestion outside of Vancouver, one of Canada’s major container ports.”