Senator Cramer Urges Prime Minister Trudeau to Avert Canadian Rail Strike

WASHINGTON - Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and Canadian National Railway (CN) workers represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference voted in late June to authorize a strike. Before a strike can legally occur, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) must issue a ruling outlining shipments required to continue during a work stoppage. CIRB is expected to finalize a ruling in the coming days.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, sent a letter to Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau today, stressing the need to keep railways open and operational.

"Railroads play a key operational role in the trade relationship, offering a cost-efficient and reliable means of transportation,"Cramer wrote."Each year, railroads haul millions of tons of products between North Dakota and Canada. This includes fuels, agricultural commodities, and other goods the residents of our communities rely on daily. Any disruption to the transport of these essential products poses risks to consumers and our economies."

"Those in the agricultural community are particularly vulnerable to a possible strike," continued Cramer."They rely heavily on rail transport during the harvest season. Disruptions to this transportation option would delay the delivery of agricultural good and a strike could lead to potential food shortages and higher prices for consumers. This concern is exacerbated by the fact there are limited alternative transportation options available to shippers should a disruption occur."

In 2022, Cramer also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau urging him to prevent a strike.

Click here to read the full letter.