A looming rail strike in Canada could be delayed, with labor officials raising new concerns over potential health and safety impacts. 

Canadian labor minister Seamus O'Regan Jr. announced on May 9 that he has asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to look into the fallout of a possible work stoppage. That would include determining whether certain critical shipments would continue in the event of a strike.  

The union representing 9,000 Canadian rail employees for Canadian Pacific Kansas and Canadian National Railway previously voted in favor of a strike as soon as May 22 if a new collective bargaining agreement isn't reached by that date. Speaking to the Canadian Press, a CIRB spokesperson said that it was "unlikely" to finish its review by May 22. Any work stoppage would have to be put on hold pending a decision from the CIRB.

According to Bloomberg, workers are pushing to include provisions to mitigate against crew fatigue into any new agreement. A strike could disrupt the delivery of products such as cars, coal, minerals, and consumer goods, with potential impacts across Canadian borders into the U.S. and Mexico. Canadian Pacific passenger rail services in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver would also face a shutdown.