Canadian Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said on Tuesday he had directed the country's labor relations board to order an end to disputes at the ports of Vancouver and Montreal, citing the economic damage inflicted.

Canada ordered striking dock workers back to the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Montreal on Tuesday to clear out more than a week of container congestion bound for the United States and Canada.

Workers are locked out at Canada’s two biggest ports on Monday, after Montreal longshore employees rejected a contract with their employers group on Sunday night. Dock workers at British Columbia’s ports, including Vancouver, have been locked out since last Monday as employers push them to approve to a new collective agreement.