Canada's Labour Minister, Steven MacKinnon, announced yesterday his intention to intervene and end the lockouts affecting workers at the nation's two largest ports. Despite this intervention, the affected dockworkers have declared their intention to pursue legal action. MacKinnon has instructed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to mandate the immediate resumption of all activities at the ports of Vancouver and Montreal, and to move the ongoing negotiations to binding arbitration, following several days of closures at these key locations. "There is a limit to the economic self-destruction that Canadians are prepared to accept," MacKinnon stated. "In the face of economic self-destruction, there is an obligation to intervene." This decision to halt the work stoppages follows a similar government intervention in August to end disruptions at Canada's two primary railway lines. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 514, representing west coast workers, has indicated plans to legally challenge both the Canada Industrial Relations Board's order to cease job action and the minister's imposition of forced arbitration. "The union will launch a charter challenge based on interference with the constitutional right to free collective bargaining and the right to strike as previously upheld in the Supreme Court of Canada," the ILWU stated. The Canadian Labour Congress issued a statement expressing concern: "The government is sending a dangerous message: Employers can bypass meaningful negotiations, lock out their workers, and wait for political intervention."