Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says there鈥檚 a 鈥渃oncerning lack of urgency鈥� to resolve port disputes in British Columbia and Montreal and the parties need to reach agreements quickly.
MacKinnon says in a social media post that both sets of negotiations are 鈥減rogressing at an insufficient pace.鈥�
British Columbia鈥檚 port lockout involving a dispute between employers and foremen is into its fourth day, while Port of Montreal dockworkers have been on strike since Thursday.
MacKinnon says he鈥檚 closely monitoring both sets of negotiations.
Canadian retailers say their frustration is growing with the lack of movement in the disruptions at Canada鈥檚 two largest ports.
Matt Poirier with the Retail Council of Canada says there 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 seem to be any urgency鈥� in resolving the disputes in B.C. and Quebec and it may result in empty shelves as the holiday season approaches.
Poirier describes the situation as a 鈥渢riple-threat鈥� of labour disruptions, referencing uncertainty at Canada Post, the ongoing lockout of unionized workers at B.C. ports including Vancouver, as well as the strike that has closed two container terminals indefinitely in Montreal.
Poirier says retailers could face a 鈥渟taggering鈥� impact on the holiday season 鈥渨here every delivery counts,鈥� with four days of port disruptions potentially equating to about a month in delays due to ripples in the supply chain.
In B.C., the lockout by the BC Maritime Employers Association at container port facilities across the province is being met with silence from employers and the union representing about 700 foremen.
The employers say no talks have taken place or are scheduled with either mediators or the union 鈥� a situation described as unusual by labour expert Mark Thompson, who is a retired University of British Columbia professor.
He says it appears the employers are 鈥減laying hardball鈥� by making what they call a final offer to the union, but the federal government has been hesitant to intervene beyond mediation because the right to strike is protected in the Canadian Constitution.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e in a kind of dance out there,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淪omebody鈥檚 waiting for the other side to say chicken, and it hasn鈥檛 happened yet.鈥�
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 has said there are no updates on the situation and pickets remain at terminal sites across B.C.
The dispute over issues such as port automation鈥檚 effect on unionized workers has been simmering since last year when the previous agreement between employers and the union expired in March 2023.
It comes on the heels of a separate dispute last year between employers and cargo workers that resulted in a strike that froze B.C. ports for 13 days.
The Port of Vancouver 鈥� the largest in Canada 鈥� has also experienced a disruption involving railways in August and another with grain terminal workers in September.
Meanwhile, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority president and CEO Peter Xotta was set to speak at a pre-scheduled event on the state of the port at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.
The Port of Montreal strike involves up to 320 workers and has paralyzed 40 per cent of the port鈥檚 total container-handling capacity.
Officials with the union, which is connected to the Canadian Union of Public Employees, have said they are willing to call off the strike if a deal is reached on a portion of the dispute centred around scheduling.
