Railways’ Locking Out of Workers ‘Deeply Unhelpful’ and Forced Binding Arbitration, Trudeau Says

Railways’ Locking Out of Workers ‘Deeply Unhelpful’ and Forced Binding Arbitration, Trudeau Says
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters as cabinet members look on during the Liberal cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, P.E.I. on Aug. 23, 2023. The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese
Matthew Horwood
Updated:
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government’s decision to request a binding arbitration to bring an end to the nationwide rail strike, saying Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s decision to lock out workers was “deeply unhelpful” and forced the government’s hand.

“As a result, we reluctantly took the decision to request binding arbitration to resolve this dispute. To be clear, this is not the outcome we wanted to see,” Trudeau told the International Union of Operating Engineers on Aug. 28.