The strike at Canada’s Port of Vancouver and Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia is causing severe disruption to the nation’s economy and shows no signs of a quick resolution, reports Pro Farmer analyst Jim Wiesemeyer.
The strike has now entered its second week and is causing daily trade disruptions estimated at around $376 million. Implications of the strike have already led to decreased arrivals of container ships, port congestion and diversions to U.S. facilities, he says. The backlog at the ports, responsible for handling a quarter of Canada’s total traded goods, is hampering both exports and imports.
The Canadian Pork Council and the Canadian Meat Council are calling on the Minister of Transport to give the same protection to perishable agriculture products as grain receives in the British Columbia port strike.
“We are seeking the Minister’s assistance to ensure perishable agricultural products, and farmers, do not suffer undue hardship from this labor action, and we believe a precedent already established for wheat is available to our agricultural industries,” Rene Roy, chair of the Canadian Pork Council, says in a release.
The British Columbia port strike action by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada is now into its eighth day. Based on available information, the Union and the Maritime Employers Association have suspended talks and are still some distance from reaching a negotiated settlement.
“We are calling on the government, through the Minister, to declare the shipment of perishable food products as an essential service due to their role in food security globally and in Canada,” Roy says in a release. “As representatives of Canada’s pork sector, we’re asking the Minister to exercise his power as minister to ensure these products continue to move through all Canadian ports.”
The sector has been challenged in recent months by a variety of issues, Roy explains, but this issue will create millions of dollars in losses across agriculture very quickly, as processing plants will shutter in the coming days.
“Worse,” says Roy, “if our products go unsold, they will create an environmental disposal challenge and lead to enormous waste and environmental damage – needlessly.”
Inflation will increase and every person in Canada will be impacted if the strike continues, Roy notes. The impact on the agricultural sector will be catastrophic, he adds.
“We do not produce hard goods that can sit on a dock for days and weeks,” Roy says. “Our products need to move, and markets that are counting on our products will move on to other suppliers if they can’t access our products – so the losses will become long-term.”
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