Ports in British Columbia have been shutdown by a labour dispute, including the major container port in Vancouver, stranding trade and negatively impacting Canada’s economy.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) began a strike on Nov. 4 that has since resulted in the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association locking out the workers.
The labour dispute has stopped all container shipments and cargo from being processed at B.C. ports, including the busy Port of Prince Rupert
The shutdown impacts $800 million in trade that passes through B.C. ports on a daily basis, according to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.
This is the second time in a little more than a year that Canada’s West Coast ports have been shutdown by a labour dispute.
Members of the ILWU have been without a contract since March 31, 2023, and 96% of union members voted in favour of a strike this September.
The strike in B.C. coincides with a labour shutdown at Canada’s second-largest port, the Port of Montreal, which handles 40% of all East Coast container shipments.
Two terminals at the Port of Montreal have been blocked since the end of October when a strike was announced by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
As a result, container shipments filled with footwear, clothing, motor vehicles, chemicals, and other products have been left stranded in Canadian waters or diverted south to U.S. ports.
The port strikes in Canada are generating news across the U.S. as more than half a billion dollars ($572 million) in container trade arrives daily in the U.S. from Canadian ports, according to data from the American government.
The last strike at Canada’s West Coast ports in summer 2023 lasted 13 days and significantly harmed the country’s economy.
It took more than three months for the movement of U.S.-bound freight to return to normal after that previous strike at B.C. ports.
