Wheat Growers Call for Action to Prevent Future Trade Disruptions
Saskatoon, SK – November 2025 — The Wheat Growers Association is calling on the federal government to take decisive action to restore confidence in Canada’s supply chain and protect the country’s reputation as a reliable trading partner.
Between 2023 and 2024, Canada’s West Coast ports were shut down for 24 days, delaying more than 19.2 billion dollars in goods. The stoppages rippled through the economy, hurting farmers, manufacturers, and exporters across the country.
“These disruptions are not just a labour issue, they are a national black eye,” said Gunter Jochum, President of the Wheat Growers Association. “Every day that ships sit idle, farmers lose value, contracts are broken, and our international reputation takes another hit. It is entirely preventable, and it is time to fix it.”
The federal government’s own Industrial Inquiry Commission, led by mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers, described the current longshore bargaining system as “broken but not beyond repair.” The Commission recommended a B.C.-wide geographic certification to unify bargaining and reduce instability at Canada’s West Coast ports.
The Wheat Growers strongly support this recommendation and are urging Ottawa to go further by recognizing trade-related positions as essential services.
“When ports or rail lines shut down, the entire economy pays the price,” Jochum said. “Canada cannot claim to be a trading nation while allowing labour disputes to repeatedly shut down our gateways to the world.”
Daryl Fransoo, Chair of the Wheat Growers Board, added that the cost of inaction reaches deep into rural communities. “Every delay at the ports has a direct impact on the farm gate,” Fransoo said. “When grain can’t move, farmers can’t get paid, and that affects the entire rural economy, from local suppliers to small businesses. Stability in trade is not optional; it is essential to keeping Canada competitive and our communities strong.”
The Wheat Growers are calling for these legislative changes to be discussed since there was no mention in the Fall 2025 Budget. We need to ensure reliability, stability, and competitiveness across Canada’s supply chain, anything less degrades the investments already signalled.
“Canadian farmers are ready to feed the world,” Jochum added. “We just need a government ready to keep the doors open.”
Background
- Canada’s West Coast ports were closed for 24 days between 2023 and 2024.
- An estimated $19.2 billion dollars in trade was disrupted.
- The Industrial Inquiry Commission found the longshore bargaining system “broken but not beyond repair.”
A B.C.-wide geographic certification would align Canada’s West Coast with other Canadian and U.S. ports.
Media Contact:
Darcy Pawlik
Executive Director, Wheat Growers Association
Email: dpawlik@wheatgrowers.ca
Phone: (306) 361-5667
About the Wheat Growers
Founded in 1970, the Wheat Growers is a voluntary farmer-run advocacy organization dedicated to developing public policy solutions that strengthen the profitability and sustainability of farming, and the agricultural industry as a whole.
For more information please visit: wheatgrowers.ca. Click here to see who is helping to advocate for grain farmers.