Quebec farmers press Trudeau to take action on CN strike, propane shortage

Tractors from Quebec farms rumbledback into Montreal on Monday morningto demandthe federal government do something about the propane shortage caused by the CN Rail strike.

Last Friday, a convoy of tractors rolled up to CN's head office in downtown Montreal, where farmers declaredthat their livelihood is being threatenedby thepropane shortage.

Their destination this time wasPrime Minister Justin Trudeau's constituency officein Montreal's north end. Farmers dumped bags of corn on the steps outside.

There has been increasing pressure on the federal government to deal with thestrike by 3,200 unionized CN workers, which isnow in its seventh day.

The government has so far said it hopes the union and CN can agree to a new contract throughnegotiation, a position thatfederal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeaurepeated again Monday.

A lobby group representing Quebec's agriculture industrysaidit doesn't want to interfere in the labour dispute, but did call on Trudeau to ensure that CN is doing what it can to protect the livelihoods of farmers.

Farmers use propane to heat hog barns andhenhouses, as well asto dry grain before storage. The vast majority of Quebec's propane supply is imported by rail from Ontario.

Marcel Groleau, president of Quebec's farmers' union (UPA), said they're not asking for special legislation to force the CN employees back to work.

Instead,they want Trudeau and his government to "put pressure on CN" to prioritize the transportation of propane on the few trains the company is still operating.

"We're on the alert it's an intolerable situation," Groleau told Radio-Canada.

A 'stressful' situation for everyone, farmer says

The UPArallied dozens of farmers Monday morning at the Claude-Robillard sports complex in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, near Trudeau's constituency office.

Many cameby bus, but another 30 came ontractors from Montreal's South Shore, slowing morning traffic as they made their way over the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.

Dominique Leroux, a grain farmer fromMontrgie West,said he's out of propane and that's thrown off his whole farming operation.

"I haven't touched my field yet," saidLeroux, who is also a local representative of theGrain Farmers Association of Quebec.

"Everything is still in the field. I'm also a grain elevator owner, so what that means is I dry corn for other farmers and they have to leave their crops in the field because I can't dry their crops. That's really stressful for them, for me, for our family, for everybody."

Leroux said if the crops are lost, the impact could be widespread. Less corn would mean less feed for animals andless material for ethanol production and starch production which have uses beyond food,such as in pharmaceutical manufacturing.