Transportation

Labor Minister Rejects Call to Intervene in Canada Rail Dispute

A Canadian National Railway locomotive pulls a train in Montreal, Quebec.

Photographer: Christinne Muschi/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The Canadian government has denied an arbitration request by Canadian National Railway Co., increasing the likelihood of a nationwide work stoppage by thousands of its unionized workers.

Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon told the railway and the union, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, they have a “shared responsibility” to try to negotiate a new contract, according to his letter sent to the company’s representative.