Why Canada is facing an unprecedented rail labor stoppage

FILE - A Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) locomotive backs into position at the company's Toronto Yard in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, March 20, 2022.

For the first time, Canada's two main railway companies— Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) — are on the verge of a simultaneous labor stoppage that could inflict billions of dollars' worth of economic damage.