“Without intervention, Canada’s international trading reputation will continue to suffer, leading to the loss of key global markets and customers,” it said in an appeal to federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon.
“GGC is calling on the federal government and Minister of Labour, Steven MacKinnon, to use all tools available to them to ensure parties reach an agreement before a work stoppage occurs,” the organization said in the news release.
Grain Growers of Canada said the elevators at Vancouver handled more than half of Canada’s grain production last year.
It’s not clear whether it counted corn and soybean exports from Ontario.
It estimated a work stoppage would halt nearly 100,000 metric tonnes of grain arriving each day.
Port workers at both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the U.S. are also threatening to strike, prompting concerns in the U.S. grain trade.
