The quick return to work forestalls direct government intervention but also underlines how vulnerable the Canadian economy is to transport disruption. Both the agricultural and the oil and gas sectors depend on CP, Canada’s second largest rail network.
This labour dispute will do further damage to Canada’s reputation as a reliable economic partner and stable exporting country.
Canada’s farmers will not grow substantially more wheat this year, favouring oilseeds as more profitable in the short term.
Further action by Indigenous or environmental activists protesting land use is likely to disrupt transport options.
The lack of oil and gas pipelines that reach Atlantic ports will limit the sector’s ability to supply Europe.
The strike may be seen as more evidence of inability to protect cross-border trade, weakening Ottawa’s influence in Washington.
