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Montreal port to resume cargo activity after government strike intervention

A tugboat helps park a large containership at the Port of Montreal. (Photo: Port of Montreal Authority)

Container and bulk terminals at the Port of Montreal will open for business Monday at 7 A.M. after the Canadian government forced an end to a strike by longshoremen, but it could take several days to work through freight backlogs and longer to resume normal operations, the port authority said. 

About 10 vessels are scheduled to enter the Port of Montreal and nearly 20,000 TEUs of container volume were trapped on port property when the work stoppage began, officials said in a statement Saturday.

Importers and exporters are being cautioned to expect delays in the coming weeks until terminal operators can restore ship and truck service to normal levels.

The Canadian Parliament on Friday, concerned about damage to the Canadian economy and supply chain disruptions, passed legislation prohibiting further strikes until dockworkers reach an agreement with maritime employers. 


The longshoremen began their strike last Monday at Canada’s second-busiest commercial port following a deterioration in contract negotiations.

The longshoremen have been without a contract since late 2018. While the details of the contract talks haven’t been made public, union officials have said the key sticking points include working conditions and work-life balance, pointing to schedules that can require longshoremen to work 19 out of 21 days at times.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com