Canadian minister says offer to appoint mediator in Montreal port dispute rejected

(Reuters) - Canadian Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said on Tuesday his proposal to appoint a mediator to help settle a dispute at the port of Montreal had been rejected.

MacKinnon made the offer last week in a bid to resolve a standoff between the Maritime Employers Association and Montreal Longshoremen's union over a new contract. Dockworkers at the port began an overtime strike this month.

MacKinnon said he had proposed appointing a mediator to help talks between the union and the employer, but the parties had since been unable to reach an agreement.

"They must find a path forward towards a negotiated settlement as quickly as possible," MacKinnon said on social media site X.

"Federal mediators and I remain available to assist them, and I will continue to closely monitor the situation."

(Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Jamie Freed)