The announcement that CN and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference reached a tentative agreement to end the labour impasse at CN is far from the end of the story. Now the clear focus of the industry is getting propane supplies back to normal levels.
In a news release on November 26, the day the strike ended, CPA Chair Dan Kelly made it clear that the industry will continue to feel the impact of the strike for at least the next several weeks.
Despite the end of the strike, CPA members, particularly in Ontario, Québec and Atlantic Canada, will still be faced with the logistical challenges of getting the supply chain back to normal.
The CPA is working with CN to ensure that they clearly understand that the replenishing of propane is a priority in the aftermath of the strike. This is especially important given the arrival of winter, which means an acute need for propane by customers.
As Kelly noted, “Our customers are our priority and CPA members are reaching out to them to ensure that they understand we are working as hard as possible to get levels back (to pre-strike levels) as quickly as we can. We knew that the drastic reduction in rail support during the strike was going to impact the logistics in the immediate aftermath of the strike and now we are working diligently to get supply back to normal.”
From the CPA’s perspective, what needs to be discussed going forward are ways to ensure that Canadian consumers of propane are not disadvantaged due to labour unrest.
“Canadians have a great deal of confidence in propane as a safe, affordable, abundant and essential energy source,” said Kelly. “The CPA will work with governments, the railways and our stakeholder groups to ensure that the challenges that presented themselves as a result of the CN strike are not repeated in the future.”
CPA activity timeline
During the strike, the CPA reached out to all parties involved in the strike – CN Rail, government, agriculture associations, among others – to encourage quick resolution to the strike. The Association also enacted its own crisis communications plan to respond to the situation and ensure that the propane industry was not viewed in a negative light as a result of the strike.
The CPA thanks members for acting on the Call to Actions and contacting MPs, as well as all their support and assistance in gathering information about CN rail logistics and propane supplies across Canada.
The following is a timeline of the CPA’s activities (which can also be viewed on the website):
Media interest in the CPA’s response was extremely high. CPA President and CEO Natalie St-Pierre participated in more than 30 interviews during and after the strike. Click here to view these stories.