OTTAWA, ON – February 11, 2020 – Today, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement regarding ongoing rail service disruptions.
“From propane to grain and food and consumer items, Canada’s supply chains are being severely damaged by the continuing interruptions to Canada’s rail services by protestors.
The rail system affects the entire Canadian economy and Canadians everywhere, including people trying to get to and from work. They must be allowed to continue to serve the thousands of businesses that depend on them.
We call on all levels of government and law enforcement to work together to bring an immediate end to the blockades and to restore all rail service.”
About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce – Because Business Matters
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce helps build the businesses that support our
families, our communities and our country. We do this by influencing government
policy, by providing essential business services and by connecting businesses
to information they can use, to opportunities for growth and to a network of
local chambers, businesses, decision-makers and peers from across the country,
in every sector of the economy and at all levels of government, as well as
internationally. We are unapologetic in our support for business and the vital
role it plays in building and sustaining our great nation.
For more
information, please contact:
Phil Taylor
Managing Director, External Communications
ptaylor@chamber.ca (preferred and fastest response time)
613.797-1860
The recent notice of a limited strike by the longshoremen’s union, including no work at all on weekends, is devastating not only to Canada’s economic competitiveness, but also to its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We cannot take for granted that the U.S. is our largest trade partner. Canada needs to be on the front foot advancing our own interests since few Americans wake up in the morning in Washington thinking about how to do Canadian businesses a favour. We look forward to working with our members, the Government of Canada, and our American business counterparts to ensure Canadian businesses are positioned to succeed in the new US political environment,” said Mark Agnew, Vice President Policy & International.
Although two months of solid job gains are encouraging, it’s still likely to be a long, bumpy journey to the end of the pandemic tunnel for Canadian business-owners and their employees as the third wave of COVID-19 breaks across the country, threatening to disrupt the positive trends we’ve seen in today’s numbers.
