Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to immediately resolve the ongoing port workers strike in British Columbia. Approximately 7,400 port workers went on strike again on Tuesday after rejecting an offer that briefly ended the strike last week. The proposed agreement, mediated under Ottawa’s guidance, was rejected by the union. Poilievre emphasized the significant costs to workers, consumers, and businesses and called on Trudeau to take action and end the strike within the next 24 hours. The B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) stated that the ILWU’s internal caucus leadership rejected the proposed collective agreement, which included considerable increases in wages and benefits. The proposed increases were higher than recent private and public sector union settlements in British Columbia and Canada. The ILWU argued that the cost-of-living issues faced by workers were not addressed adequately by the employers, despite their record profits. Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra expressed frustration at the breakdown of the agreement. Alghabra stated that the government is exploring options but provided no further details. Poilievre attributed the strike’s resumption to Trudeau’s “total incompetence” and accused him of raising the cost of living. Stakeholders, including the Freight Management Association of Canada and the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, have called on the government to intervene and legislate an end to the dispute. The strike, which halted shipments in and out of approximately 30 ports in B.C., resulted in approximately $10 billion in lost trade. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business have also called on the government to pass legislation to resolve the strike. The Tories previously supported back-to-work legislation in 2021 to end a short strike at the Port of Montreal.
Poilievre Urges Trudeau to Act, Demands Immediate End to B.C. Port Strike
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