The Canadian government moved quickly on Thursday to end an unprecedented rail stoppage, announcing it would ask the country's industrial relations board to issue a back-to-work order that should come soon.
Canada's top two railroads, Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), had locked out more than 9,000 unionized workers earlier in the day, triggering a simultaneous rail stoppage that business groups said could inflict hundreds of millions of dollars in economic damage.
The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), which is independent, will now consult the companies and unions before issuing an order.