The Business Council of Alberta, joining with business groups across the country, is calling on the Federal Government, to intervene and use all available tools to prevent a work stoppage on Canada’s national rail networks.
On behalf of our 135 member companies with representation from Alberta’s largest employers and rail-dependent sectors, including agriculture, energy, and manufacturing, we ask for the Federal Government’s urgent attention to this matter.
Canada’s rail systems are essential to nearly every sector of our national economy, and especially so as we approach the critical harvest and food distribution season. A stoppage in rail commerce would be simply too costly to Canadians at this critical time – harming our economy and worsening the affordability issues affecting so many.
It is the role of the Federal Government to protect the broad interests of all Canadians, and those interests would be best served at this time by keeping our railways rolling.
Already, the uncertainty around a work stoppage is having material impacts and costs to our economy and Canadians. Should a prolonged work stoppage occur, the adverse impact for all Canadians will be deep and long-lasting, with many of the most significant impacts felt by Western Canadian farmers.
We urge the government to immediately take all actions necessary to achieve a speedy resolution, to protect the health and safety of workers, the economy, and the interests of Canadians. Â
Adam Legge, President, Business Council of Alberta
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About the Business Council of Alberta. The Business Council of Alberta is a non-partisan, for-purpose organization dedicated to building a better Alberta within a more dynamic Canada. Composed of the chief executives and leading entrepreneurs of the province’s largest enterprises, Council members are proud to represent the majority of Alberta’s private sector investment, job creation, exports, and research and development. The Council is committed to working with leaders and stakeholders across Alberta and Canada in proposing bold and innovative public policy solutions and initiatives that will make life better for Albertans.
Further support from Canadian business associations here.