A rail strike would raise expenses, lower sales and delay shipments for Canada's manufacturers, an industry group says, as various sectors grapple with looming uncertainty around a key cross-country transport link.
Last month, employees at Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. authorized a strike mandate that could see some 9,300 workers walk off the job if they are unable to reach new agreements. "What we do now is make parts and pieces," he said of domestic industry."We don't make washing machines anymore, but we have companies that make the motors in the washing machines.
The cost of a rail traffic halt would average $275,000 per company each day, according to the 225 respondents. If accurate, that means the cost for a sliver of Canada's manufacturers alone would top $433 million per week. O'Regan highlighted heavy fuel, propane, food and water treatment materials needed in remote communities"and throughout Canada," said tribunal spokesman Jean-Daniel Tardif.