November 9, 2024 – In a positive sign, the federal government has mandated a series of meetings over the weekend between the two parties in an attempt to get an agreement in place. More news as it develops.
November 4, 2024 – As announced earlier, all the ports in Vancouver and Montreal are currently on strike with no end in sight as negotiations are not currently scheduled. We are prioritizing our contact with customers whose containers are affected. Please feel free to call us if you have any questions or concerns.
November 1, 2024 – The Port of Vancouver may be closed on Monday if the planned strike and lockout occurs as announced today. Customers will be advised of any pending shipments that are affected.
October 31, 2024 – This morning at 11 a.m., an indefinite strike began at the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals, in accordance with the strike notice filed by CUPE Local 375, the longshore workers’ union. As a result, these two Termont-operated terminals are closed, and no rail, truck or ship services will be provided. With 40% of total container handling capacity paralyzed by this work stoppage, and ships and trains already obliged to choose other routes, Canaan Transport is informing its customers about the negative repercussions of this work stoppage.
October 29, 2024 – After holding a 24-hour strike on Sunday, dockworkers at the Port of Montreal have decided to continue their pressure tactics with a general strike at two terminals. The union representing nearly 1,200 longshore workers at the country’s second biggest port announced a job action will begin Thursday October 31 at 11 a.m. at the same two container terminals affected by a three-day strike earlier this month and continue until further notice. Workers with the Syndicat des débardeurs du port de Montréal have also refused to work overtime shifts since Oct. 10. The union says the terminals that will be impacted by the unlimited strike starting Thursday are operated by Termont and are responsible for about 40 per cent of container traffic. Dockworkers have been without a collective agreement since Dec. 31, 2023, with issues including salaries, scheduling and work-life balance at the heart of negotiations.
Earlier this month federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon proposed appointing a special mediator so the parties can resume negotiations without a lockout or strike for 90 days, but that offer was rejected
October 24, 2024 – A number of terminals at the Port of Montreal will be closed from October 27 to 28th as a result of strike action by the union. Canaan Transport will be advising our customers if their shipments are affected.
October 23, 2024 – Canadian shipping stakeholder hopes of a prompt resolution of the dispute at the Port of Montreal have been quashed, after Canadian Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon’s proposal for “special mediation” was rejected. Last week, Mr. MacKinnon made a proposal to the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and Montreal Longshoremen’s union Local 375 to appoint a special mediator so the parties could “resume negotiations without any pressure tactics from either side, over a 90-day period.” But Mr. MacKinnon wrote on X yesterday: “The parties have been unable to reach an agreement,” indicating that a mediator would therefore not be appointed. But he urged: “They must find a path forward towards a negotiated settlement as quickly as possible,” and added that he would “continue to closely monitor the situation.” Meanwhile, the overtime ban at the port that started on October 11 is set to last indefinitely.
October 21, 2024 – Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, announced last week the launch of public consultations on potential new measures to strengthen the enforcement, under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and in alignment with the United States and Mexico, of Canada’s ban on the import of goods produced by forced labour. These consultations will complement the public consultations held in October 2023 on the eradication of forced labour from the country’s supply chains.
October 16, 2024 – A meeting was held on Tuesday with federal Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon to advance the matter of the labour contract between the MEA and the Montreal Longshoremen’s Union. The meeting was attended by both the employer and the union. During the meeting, the Minister proposed the appointment of a special mediator so the parties can resume negotiations, without any pressure tactic from either party for a period of 90 days. The MEA and the union must submit their respective responses to the Minister of Labour no later than Friday at 5:00 pm.
October 4, 2024 – The cutover period begins today, October 4, 2024, at 4:00 PM ET, and will extend until October 21, 2024, at 3:00 AM ET. During this time, CARM will officially serve as the platform for importers, brokers, and other trade partners to account for goods and make payments of duties and taxes directly to the CBSA. As a reminder, CARM Release 3 will be fully implemented on October 21, 2024, marking the retirement of several legacy CBSA systems, including the Customs Commercial System (CCS) and the Customs Automated Data Exchange (CADEX), as CARM takes over.
Important Points for the Cutover Period:
• Release Processing: This will remain operational, but please be aware that a maintenance window is scheduled from October 5, 2024, at 10:00 PM until October 6, 2024, at 8:00 AM.
• Transaction Accounting: Accounting submissions will be temporarily halted and will resume based on the CAD submission schedule outlined in Customs Notice 24-29.
• Release Prior to Payment (RPP): Your existing RPP privileges remain unaffected, and broker RPP bonds can continue to be used under the current procedures. Once CARM is launched, importers can obtain RPP privileges by establishing their own financial security arrangements or by posting a bond. Canaan Transport can assist with this.
• CARM Client Portal: Please note that the CARM Client Portal (CCP) will be unavailable during this cutover period. Portal access will resume after October 21, 2024, at 3:00 AM ET.
• New Importer Accounts: New RM account designations will continue until October 18, 2024, at 12:00 PM ET.
Action Required: If you have not yet registered, registration will reopen on October 21, 2024.