Canada orders freight back on track to end rail stoppage

Canada's federal government has moved swiftly to end an industrial dispute that just brought two of the country's largest railways to a halt, threatening supply chains across North America.

Labour Minister Steve McKinnon announced he would send both sides to final binding arbitration, as he directed both railways to resume operations as soon as possible.

Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) locked out nearly 9,300 workers after midnight on Thursday, after failing to clinch a deal with the Teamsters union.

Canada sends around 75% of all the goods it exports to the US, mostly over rail. A prolonged dispute could have disrupted shipments of a range of goods, from grains and beans to potash, coal and timber.