Key ports on Canada’s West Coast were shut down by a labor strike on 4 November, 2024, as The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship & Dock Foreman Local 514 began striking.
According to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, $800 million in trade flows through West Coast ports every day. With this closure, vessels awaiting entry to Canadian ports may face delays or need rerouting to U.S. ports, which could significantly increase costs for Canadian businesses.
As reported by CNBC, approximately 20% of U.S. trade arrives in the Canadian ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, where strikes broke out after union leadership and industry representatives failed to reach a deal before a cooling-off period expired.
Already burdened by high freight costs—tripled in the past year—Canadian importers, according to CBC, face additional expenses and delays, particularly as the holiday season approaches.
As CBC has highlighted, the lockout intensifies an ongoing supply chain crisis that includes similar disputes at the Port of Montreal, where two terminals are also closed. CBC reports that the ripple effects of the B.C. disruption include backlogs in essential exports like lumber, coal, and automobiles, with each shutdown day adding approximately a week of recovery time.
According to CBC, grain and cruise operations remain unaffected by the lockout.
To remind, in early October, another strike by port workers was announced along the U.S. East and Gulf Coast, ending after three days when dock workers and port operators reached a tentative deal.
