CN Rail strike reveals Sask. politicians on different tracks

Two days after Canadian National Railway employees began strike action, a pair of urgent motions hit the floor of Saskatchewan's legislature, illustrating drastically different ideas on how to end the labour dispute.

On Tuesday, roughly 3,200 CN Rail conductors and yard workers went on strike across the country.

Thursday's question period was uneventful, but before proceedings ended Premier Scott Moe took to his feet and put forward an urgent motion on the CN Rail strike:

"That this Assembly call on the federal government to immediately end the CN Rail strike through binding arbitration or back to work legislation in order to provide support for our critical agricultural, mining and energy sectors," the motion said.

The government did not need to give advanced notice to the speaker or the opposition, but did in this case.

The NDP refused to support the motion as written. Instead, it had its own. NDP MLA Trent Wotherspoon asked the assembly to recognize, "collective bargaining rights of workers," and for CN Rail to, "urgently negotiate a fair deal and get Saskatchewan products moving to market."

Both motions failed to receive unanimous consent.

Mere minutes after Wotherspoon sat down and the heckling subsided, Moe posted to Facebook and Twitter accusing the NDP of failing to "stand up for our vital industries."

Meili, who was pictured in the post and not in the house on Thursday, responded by calling the characterization, "misleading."

Moe stressed the financial consequences of a prolonged strike in comments he made Thursday .

"Jobs not only in the mining industry or the energy industry but most notably the agriculture industry," he said Thursday. "Day by day we have grain deliveries that are not arriving at port." 

On Monday, Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture David Marit sent a letter to the federal government asking it to take "immediate action to end the dispute."

Marit told media he wanted a quick resolution to the impasse, preferably at the bargaining table. He expressed concern about a record harvest and difficult fall weather, which are already putting pressure on farmers in the province.

Marit did not call for back-to-work legislation, but Moe's motion on Thursday made the government's position a little clearer and distinct from the NDP.

Wotherspoon accused the government of being "weak" on the rail duopoly in Canada.

"We've seen nothing more than kid gloves from this government. We've made calls for action over the years where this government simply has been unwilling to lean into the rail companies and demand performance," Wotherspoon said.

He said Moe should have been proactive in dealing with CN and called the position on back-to-work legislation "heavy-handed."

Wotherspoon said the province's motion was promoting taking away "workers rights," but added he supported producers facing a tough harvest.

Premiers advocate for federal intervention

The ink was barely dry on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet appointments when premiers and industry representatives from across the country urged federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau and new Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland to put an end to the strike.

Moe called both Freeland and Garneau Wednesday and was informed the rail strike was a top priority for the new cabinet.

He said the matter needed to be sorted out in a matter "of hours, not days."

Garneau said Friday the federal government knows the "severity" of the economic impact of the CN Rail dispute. He said the government "wants to resolve this as quickly as possible." 

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney asked for an early recall of parliament, in order to pass back-to-work legislation.

Quebec Premier François Legault said Thursday his province's supply of propane will run out within four days, threatening farmers' ability to dry their grain and heat their facilities.

Legault described the situation as an "emergency" and called on the federal parties to support back-to-work legislation.

Kenney jumped on Legault's comments in a Facebook Q and A on Thursday:

"If the government of Quebec is concerned about reliable access to propane and other fuels … then we have a very simple message for the government of Quebec: help us build additional pipeline capacity," Kenney said.

Teamsters Canada Rail Conference president Lyndon Isaak speculated on Friday that the company may be throttling the supply of propane.

"CN is far from operating at full capacity, but we believe there are enough trains going around to allow the company to supply propane to Ontario and Quebec," said Isaak. "The question is whether CN refuses to transport propane to create a crisis and force a special back-to-work law."