Strikes and port closures at Port of Montreal and British Columbia are crippling Canada's meat industry

The Port of Montreal's two busiest terminals, Viau and Maisonneuve, account for 40 per cent of all container traffic and have been on indefinite strike since Thursday, October 31. In addition, disruptions at several major British Columbia ports have severely impacted the flow of goods into and out of the province. These delays continue to erode Canada's reputation as a reliable supplier of high-quality meat products.

“Our sector exports nearly $10 billion worth of red meat annually,” said Chris White, president and CEO of the Canadian Meat Council (CMC) and Canada Pork (CP). “Without reliable transportation infrastructure, our members face damage to their reputations, increased costs, and food waste. This instability is challenging for our member companies, and we cannot allow this disruption to continue.”

CMC calls on the federal government to take immediate action to resolve these labour disputes and restore stability to Canada's critical trade infrastructure.

CMC is the national voice of the meat industry, representing meat packers, processors, and federally inspected suppliers of goods and services throughout the meat supply chain. As an industry association, CMC advocates for its members and works to ensure and enhance the global competitiveness of Canadian meat.