May 12, 2021 — Today, President of North America’s Building Trades Unions, Sean McGarvey, and Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, Sean Strickland, released the following statement after submitting an amicus curiae brief regarding the Line 5 pipeline in the United States federal court:

“North America’s Building Trades Unions and Canada’s Building Trades Unions are calling for the safe and continued operation of Enbridge’s Line 5 to protect thousands of jobs on both sides of the border.

“Yesterday, we filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, conveying our belief that federal court is the proper venue for hearing the case between the two parties.

“Shutting down Line 5 will not only threaten our energy security and drive consumer prices through the roof, it will cost thousands of workers their livelihood.

“From the petrochemical industry in Sarnia, ON, to the refineries in Ohio, and industries in Michigan and Quebec, the Building Trades annually, work millions of manhours to service and maintain industries supplied by Line 5. Over 30,000 jobs are expected to be lost if Line 5 is shut down. The importance of Line 5 for workers cannot be understated.

“We’re strongly advocating to protect the jobs connected to the continued safe operation of Line 5 while looking forward to the partnership between Enbridge and the Building Trades to build the Great Lakes Tunnel project.

“We will continue to work closely across borders, with our local building trades councils and affiliates to do whatever it takes to stand up for Building Trades jobs and workers.”

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