(The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

governments react

B.C. port strike ends following ratification vote

Aug 5, 2023 | 11:31 AM

With a deal struck to end the weeks-long port strike in British Columbia, the federal and Alberta provincial governments are among those reacting.

About 7,400 port workers ratified the deal, which ends the strike that began July 1. About 75 per cent voted in favour of ratification.

In a statement issued Saturday, Alberta Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen, who’s also MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake, said he is pleased to see an agreement reached.

“As a land-locked province, Alberta relies on the safe, dependable movement of goods to and from British Columbia ports. Now that an agreement has been reached, work can fully resume at the B.C. ports, allowing Alberta’s producers, exporters and small companies to get back to business,” says Dreeshen.

“We appreciate both sides working to resolve this issue and are pleased that work is again underway, helping to restore the critical supply chains and the economies of Alberta and Canada, and our country’s reputation as a reliable trading partner.”

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Dreeshen adds that the province is urging Ottawa to bring forth, “mechanisms that provide more stability and predictability in the segments of Canada’s supply chain within its jurisdiction.”

That includes Class 1 rail, ports and airports, he says.

“We cannot afford these sorts of disruptions to our province.”

It was estimated that the strike affected hundreds of millions of dollars in goods each day.

Federal Labour and Seniors Minister, Seamus O’Regan Jr, and Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, also issued a joint statement.

“This is good news for the employer, the union, and the many workers and businesses across Canada that rely on our B.C. ports. Collective bargaining is hard work. But it is how the best, most resilient deals are made,” they say. “Thank you to the parties for their commitment to that process, and to the federal mediators and the Canada Industrial Relations Board for supporting the parties in their negotiations.”

The two say the disruption risked Canada’s strong international reputation as a reliable trading partner, adding that they do not want to be back here.

Minister O’Regan, it’s also stated, “has directed federal officials to review how a disruption on this scale unfolded, so that in future we can provide greater stability for the workers and businesses across Canada that depend on our B.C. ports.

“We will have more to say on this soon.”

The President of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade also says businesses across the country are breathing a sigh of relief as the strike ends.

Bridgitte Anderson was one of the officials who had called for a legislated end to the dispute that started on July 1, and says the federal government needs to expand its options for addressing labour disruptions that impact the national economy and supply chains.

(with files from The Canadian Press)