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RAC Urging Ministers to Act Urgently to Resolve CN Strike

For Immediate Release

Ottawa, ON – The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) is calling on the Ministers of Transport and Labour to make resolving the days-old strike by unionized CN employees their top priority as they begin their new mandates.

In letters of congratulations to Ministers Garneau and Tassi, RAC President & CEO Marc Brazeau also laid out the economic argument for urgent action and the need to resolve the labour disruption at CN, which began on Tuesday morning.

The economic arguments for swift action include:

  • Canadian railways operate more than 42,000 kilometres of track across Canada and service approximately 10,000 customers;
  • RAC members transport more than $310 billion worth of goods across Canada each year, including more than 50 per cent of all goods destined for export;
  • Disruptions of any sort hurt almost every sector of the economy; and
  • The current job action is or risks impacting shipments of propane to Quebec, oil from Alberta and Saskatchewan, forest products from British Columbia, and grain from across the country.

“After observing the impacts of this strike on CN’s operations, RAC is extremely concerned about the implications to the railway’s ability to service its customers and meet the demands of the Canadian economy,” Brazeau wrote.

He added: “Rail is so fundamental to Canada’s economic prosperity that any service disruption has significant and immediate impacts to shippers located in towns and cities from coast to coast.”

Brazeau offered the ministers RAC’s full support in bringing swift resolution to the labour action at CN and confirmed that the association stands ready to offer them any assistance it can going forward.

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About the Railway Association of Canada:

The Railway of Canada represents more than 60 freight and passenger railway companies that move 84 million passengers and $310 billion worth of goods in Canada each year. RAC advocates on behalf of its members and associate members to ensure that the rail sector remains globally competitive, sustainable and, most importantly, safe. Learn more at: railcandev.wpengine.com

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For more information on this release, please contact RAC Communications at: communications@railcan.ca