OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canadian Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said on Tuesday he had directed the country’s labor relations board to order an end to disputes at the ports of Vancouver and Montreal, citing the economic damage inflicted.
The move marked the second time in a few months that the Liberal government has stepped in to end a dispute. In August it ordered an end to work stoppages at the country’s two largest railway companies.
The Montreal Longshoremen’s Union rejected a final offer made for a new labor contract, leading to a lockout being declared. Exports of canola oil and forest products from West Coast ports, including Vancouver, have halted.
“As the economic losses threaten the country and begin to mount, it is up to the government to ensure that … we can get on with the economic life of this country and avoid layoffs and other carnage,” MacKinnon told a news conference.
MacKinnon has also asked the labor relations board to impose binding arbitration on employers and union.