Ottawa, ON. – Canada’s meat processing industry is grateful that the Government of Canada has tabled legislation in the House of Commons to end the Canadian Pacific Rail strike. Canada must protect its critical transportation systems and protect the recovering Canadian economy.
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.’s 4,800 workers walked off the job last Wednesday May 23, 2012, halting the railway’s critical freight operations. Not only does this strike threaten the Canadian economy but it also hurts our international reputation as a reliable supplier of high quality meat.
Canada’s meat industry relies heavily on refrigerated rail transport to get our products to ports like Vancouver to export our products to important markets like Japan and Korea. Last year Canada exported $3.2 billion of pork and $1.3 billion of beef to over 150 countries around the world.
“Our members are doing what they can to redirect products from Canadian Pacific Railway to Canadian National Railway. But, the balance needs to go on trucks- and that adds significant costs to our operations” stated Canadian Meat Council President Scott Entz. “The government’s effort to minimize the impact of labour disruptions for critical transportation services – particularly where perishable food commodities are involved – is greatly appreciated”
Canada’s meat processing industry includes some 400 federally registered establishments, providing not only safe, high quality protein for Canadian consumers, but also adding jobs and making a significant contribution to local economic activity in both rural and urban Canada. With some 67,500 employees and annual sales exceeding $ 21.3 billion, the industry is the largest segment of Canada’s food processing sector.
The Canadian Meat Council has been representing Canada’s federally inspected meat processing industry since 1919.
Source: The Canadian Meat Council
