October 24, 2023

The St. Lawrence Seaway is a critical link between the bi-national Great Lakes economy, the St. Lawrence River and international markets. Currently, the movements of vessels containing commodities and passengers have ceased due to the current strike by Unifor. The impacts are quickly adding up, resulting in the loss cargo, cruise business and revenue every day the strike persists.

The Association of Canadian Port Authorities, which represents Canada Port Authorities and industry representatives, is greatly concerned about the impact this labour action is costing not just in terms of immediate costs but also in terms of reputational damage and lost long-term capacity utilization. The long-term impacts on current operations and future projects as well as the international perception of Canadian supply chain reliability and predictability could be irreversibly damaged. ACPA encourages the two sides to work together to resolve the matter, given the importance of the Seaway to the Canadian economy.