Prime Minister calls on railways and the union to reach a deal

As the clock ticks down on the strike deadline there's an overwhelming call for the Canadian government to intervene and prevent a national rail strike.

For months now Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian National and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference have been at the bargaining table but to no avail.

On Sunday, the union announced that unless the parties reached a last-minute agreement, workers would be off the job as of 12:01 a.m. eastern time Thursday.

Following that CN Rail issued a notice that it intends to lock workers out at that same time unless an agreement or binding arbitration is achieved.

The strike involving over 9000 rail workers for CN and CPKC would effectively shut down the rail system, haulting grain movement to terminal and export markets creating a major backlog right through the grain system. 

The strike would not only impact Canada's grain system but will also have an impact on the United States with businesses south of the border saying it could have a significant impact on the U.S. economy

The U.S. and Canadian Chamber of Commerce issued a joint statement on Tuesday urging for action to avert a rail stoppage. 

"Significant two-way trade and deeply integrated supply chains between Canada and the United States mean that any significant rail disruption will jeopardize the livelihoods of workers across multiple industries on both sides of the border. The Government of Canada must take action to ensure goods continue to move reliably between our two countries."

There's also overwhelming concern about the overall impact on Canada's reputation as a reliable supplier for our customers, who now will have to look elsewhere to fill their grain supply needs.