The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has filed a request to intervene in a hearing on the designation of Marine Atlantic as an essential service.

The Provincial Government respects the collective bargaining process underway between Marine Atlantic and Unifor, but is concerned the corporation’s longstanding designation as an essential service could be reconsidered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).

If accepted, this would fundamentally shift how essential services are defined for Marine Atlantic and affect long-term service reliability.

Marine Atlantic’s ferry service is a vital link for transporting food, fuel and medical supplies, and for supporting health care, supply chains and public safety in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Provincial Government is focused on ensuring critical services remain in place to protect the health, safety and well-being of residents.

More information about the importance of Marine Atlantic to the health, safety and security of Newfoundland and Labrador is included in the backgrounder below.

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“Maintaining Marine Atlantic’s essential service status protects the public interest. We support a resolution that respects collective bargaining while ensuring uninterrupted service for residents and businesses. Marine Atlantic provides a service that is constitutionally guaranteed under the Terms of Union. The ferry service functions in a manner equivalent to the Trans-Canada Highway, and Marine Atlantic’s essential role means disruptions cannot compromise public safety and well-being.”
Honourable Tony Wakeham
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

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BACKGROUNDER

• Much of the province’s food supply moves via Marine Atlantic. Reliable service is essential to maintaining food security, especially in rural and remote areas.
• Nearly 100,000 commercial units cross annually between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to transport goods.
• Continuous ferry service is critical to residents’ health, safety and well-being. Disruptions would limit access to essential goods, including food and medical supplies, with serious consequences.
• A majority of pharmaceutical products arrive in the province through ground transportation in temperature-regulated trucks, which require regular ferry crossings and are not serviced by private operators. Almost all vaccines arrive via Marine Atlantic, along with hospital oxygen, IV solutions and dialysis solutions, and medical products such as sutures.
• Service disruptions would harm tourism and key industries such as fisheries and forestry, affecting jobs and regional economies.
• Visitors travelling to Newfoundland and Labrador on Marine Atlantic spent $165 million in the province in 2025, helping support more than 20,000 tourism-related jobs.
• According to the Association of Seafood Producers, 95 per cent of the province’s $1.7 billion in annual seafood exports rely on Marine Atlantic to reach markets.
• Nearly 40,000 tonnes of aquaculture products, valued at $453 million, depend on the ferry system for market access.