Canada - Canadian shippers who rely heavily on Canada's rail network to get their goods to market are urging the federal government to intervene after 3,000 workers at Canadian Pacific (CP) walked off the job Tuesday night.
 
In a statement released early Wednesday morning, Canada's chemical industry warned a strike could have "far-reaching and urgent economic implications," noting 80 percent of its product moves by rail, much of it only moved by CP.
 
"The immediate impacts of the CP strike on our members are severe and long-lasting. For many of our members, they are captive to CP, there are no alternatives for their shipments," said Chemistry Industry Association President and CEO Bob Masterson.
 
"Some of these goods are used in essential health and safety applications, such as municipal water treatment plants. Canadian citizens could feel the effects of this work stoppage in a matter of days, according to our members."
 
While a negotiated settlement is always preferred, the chemistry industry said the federal government should not rule out intervening.
 
Many shippers in Western Canada in particular are captive to one rail line, with CP servicing the southern part of the region, while northern areas are served by Canadian National (CN).
 
The Trudeau government tried to address that reality as part of its recent overhaul of this country's transportation legislation, bill C-49, which allows shippers to impose reciprocal penalties on the railways in cases of poor service.
 
While that legislation has been welcomed by many shippers, particularly in the agriculture industry, prairie grain groups warned earlier this week that a strike could have serious implications for an industry still recovering from a crippling grain backlog this past Winter.
 
"Canada's reputation as a reliable supplier of quality grain is at jeopardy when we can't fulfil our commitments," Alberta Wheat Commission and the Alberta Barley Commission wrote in a letter to Labour Minister Patty Hajdu.
 
"A rail strike could have devastating and lasting effects on our producers, domestic supply chain partners, international buyers, and the national economy."
 
However, despite industry pleas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday he won't be crafting and passing back-to-work legislation.
 
"Quite frankly, we have companies that have gotten used to the fact that in certain industries, the government in the past was very quick to legislate against unions," he said during a conference in Toronto.
 
"We are not going to do that."
 
Trudeau said the government believes in collective bargaining, but will use various levers to motivate both sides to reach a settlement.
 
However, if it is eventually forced to intervene, the Liberal government won't be giving the advantage to employers.
 
"I can tell you we will also look at legislation to deal with some of the issues that the unions are talking about, which are not just about money but are about rail safety for employees."
 
Just before the strike deadline, CP said a tentative three-year contract agreement had been reached with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the union that represents its 360 signalling workers.
 
That meant commuters in Vancouver, Montreal, or Toronto avoided chaos as they tried to get to work today, despite the fact those trains run on track owned by CP.
 
Ontario transportation agency Metrolinx advised passengers that GO service will run as usual.
 
Suburban services in Montreal and Vancouver will also not be impacted by a general strike at the Calgary-based railway.
 
Kelsey Johnson.