The truckers dispute at the Port of Vancouver has finally reached a temporary resolution, but only after cementing British Columbia’s reputation as the nation’s labour trouble hotbed.
For more than five weeks, the fight between truckers who move shipping containers and the companies that hire them had halted merchandise entering Canada. Experts estimated the $30-million of goods piling up daily created a ripple effect costing our economy $75-million per day. With the dispute lasting about 40 days—well, you do the math. Internationally, Vancouver’s reputation as a port suffered considerable harm.
Most alarmingly, the dispute featured gunfire and levels of intimidation that haven’t been seen in B.C. since the last episode of The Sopranos. Much of this could have been avoided or curtailed had the federal and provincial governments intervened earlier. But apart from appointing a mediator, both governments were essentially missing in action.
The federal government has jurisdiction over the ports, and B.C.‘s business leaders had demanded that it intervene. They reminded Ottawa it could use Section 47 of the Transportation Act to force a 90-day back-to-work/cooling-off period.
But the feds didn’t invoke Section 47 until July 29—one month after the economic free-fall began. The move was significant in that it allowed port officials to take charge of the situation and issue a temporary licensing system that allows willing truckers to get back to work. It’s controversial, but it quickly put the port back in business.
This positive result raises the question of why the federal government didn’t intervene sooner. If this had happened at Montreal’s port, there’s no doubt it would have rectified the situation quickly.
The provincial government is no less culpable. It has jurisdiction over labour laws and could have initiated (and still should initiate) legislation that addresses the violence.
Truckers were not all in agreement about withdrawing services; therefore, this dispute was characterized by a few angry individuals who took it upon themselves to ensure their fellow drivers didn’t break ranks with the hotheads.
Consequently, eight trucks that had dared to cross the dispute line were later sprayed with bullets from an automatic weapon, resulting in $150,000 damage. Security personnel were held at gunpoint while goons vandalized vehicles. A brick was tossed through a bedroom window belonging to the son of a trucker who’d crossed the line; other truckers who went to work faced blockades.
Reportedly, some of the violence took place while police officers observed … and did nothing. Why? Law enforcers apparently viewed the violence as part of a labour dispute and claim they have no clear instructions about how to deal with criminal acts in such instances.
Clearly, the situation had escalated beyond that of a typical labour dispute. The violence alone was sufficient to justify some sort of provincial intervention.
During a similar labour dispute in Quebec, that government legislated heavy fines for those involved in intimidation tactics and traffic blockades. This gives local police guidelines about how to enforce the law, thereby preventing the escalation of violence.
These events demonstrate that government should intervene in some labour disputes. Ottawa has acted by invoking Section 47; now it’s time for Premier Gordon Campbell’s team to do its part.
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