NDP Must Take Action to Minimize Rail Strike Impacts on Manitoba Economy, Agriculture
WINNIPEG — Progressive Conservatives are calling on the NDP to do everything in their power to ensure that the looming nationwide rail strike can be averted, and failing that, pressure the federal labour minister Steve MacKinnon to order binding arbitration.
“Manitoba exports about $20-billion worth of goods annually,” said Wayne Ewasko, Leader of the Official Opposition. “About 43% of total exports are from the agriculture and agri-food industry. The vast majority of those products travel by rail. Nationally, rail transports $380 billion in goods annually. That’s a little over $1 billion daily.”
“It’s not a stretch to say that a protracted strike could cost Manitobans hundreds of millions of dollars. The vast majority of food and consumer goods travel by rail at some point in the supply chain. Any break in that chain leads to disruptions and increased prices for consumers.”
There are also environmental consequences of a prolonged rail strike, Ewasko added.
“Rail transport is a very efficient option compared to trucking,” said Ewasko. “An average train can replace over 200 trucks on the road. Approximately 50 trains per day pass through Manitoba. We simply cannot fill the transportation void that a rail strike would cause.”
Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza, PC Critic for Agriculture, is concerned about the impacts on agricultural producers.
“Manitoba’s agriculture industry is feeling the pressure from every direction right now,” said Bereza. “The carbon tax, labour shortages, and inflation, not to mention the ever-present uncertainties of the weather, have producers under pressure from all sides. The last thing they need is a rail labour disruption preventing them from getting their crops to market.”
The impacts to Canada and Manitoba’s reputation as a reliable export partner are also at risk of long-term damage, added Bereza. “The majority of our agricultural products are traded on global markets. Our global trading partners are depending on the timely delivery of our Manitoba products. If we fail to deliver, they will look elsewhere.”
“In the short term, the NDP government needs to speak up and inform Minister MacKinnon that this strike cannot happen. He has the power to stop this and he needs to exercise that power. In the long term, NDP agriculture minister Ron Kostyshyn and Premier Wab Kinew need to listen and fight for Manitoba farmers and protect rail transportation of agricultural goods from labour action.
“We aren’t asking them to perform miracles. Bulk grain handling at ports is already protected, but it doesn’t make much sense if you cannot get the grain to port in the first place.”
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