Wheat farmers ask Canada to step in as strike threatens exports

The Wheat Growers Association is calling for the Canadian government to allow outside workers to weigh and inspect grain at a Vancouver port as a massive strike by public sector workers threatens shipments.

Unionized inspectors at the Cascadia Terminal have purposely targeted the port, according to a news release by the group, which advocates for farmers. The protests could further tighten global supplies already affected by the war in Ukraine.

“A strike is one thing, but to intentionally target a port that is critical to the lives of grain farmers and to the entire Canadian economy is the height of reckless irresponsibility,” the group’s President, Gunter Jochum, said in the release. 

Last week Keystone Agricultural Producers of Manitoba and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, also warned the strike could cause delays inspecting grain before it’s loaded onto ships as well as disrupt efforts to bring temporary workers into Canada in time for the spring planting season.