“Get back to the table”, O’Regan tells seaway and union

Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan took to social media to reiterate the message that the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) and Unifor they need to resume bargaining. O’Regan posted on X, saying he had taken calls with both sides, and they need to resume talks.

Over 350 Unifor workers are on strike at the seaway, shutting down the waterway to commercial traffic since October 22.

Business groups also weighed in on the labour action.

Dennis Darby, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters said: “This labour dispute will have a major impact on our businesses. This is another interruption at the heart of the supply chain, and manufacturers are once again being held hostage.”

The seaway is a key economic artery for Quebec, Ontario and Eastern Canada. In 2022, about 36.3 million metric tons of cargo valued at $16.7 billion passed through the St. Lawrence Seaway’s infrastructure, generating a total of nearly $6 billion in economic activity and supporting over 42,000 jobs in Canada.

CME has been urging the federal government to address the increasingly frequent supply chain disruptions in order to preserve Canada’s competitiveness and global reputation, as well as provide much needed stability to Canadian manufacturers.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said small businesses were seriously affected by the long strike at BC ports and the supply chain disruptions it caused this summer. “The last thing the Canadian economy needs right now is another strike blocking a busy trade route and impacting businesses once again,” the advocacy group said in a statement.

CFIB is asking the government to ensure that the St. Lawrence Seaway remains fully operational while negotiations continue. It also continues to call for federally regulated workers who are indispensable to the supply chain to be deemed essential workers to avoid similar strikes in the future.