The Canadian government said on Friday it had joined contract talks between Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd and unionised staff ahead of a possible weekend strike, but it also began laying the groundwork to introduce back-to-work legislation. Canadian Labour Minister Kellie Leitch intervened in the negotiations to encourage an agreement and stave off a potential weekend strike, her spokesman said.
But the Conservative government also put back-to-work legislation on Parliament's notice paper for Monday, meaning it could pass it into law soon after any strike. In recent years, the government has intervened or threatened to intervene in several major labour disputes in the transportation sector. Unions representing workers at CP Rail have given notice they may go on strike just after midnight on Saturday.
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