OTTAWA, ON — Canada’s labor minister said Tuesday he would intervene to end lockouts at the country’s two largest ports.

Labor Minister Steven Mackinnon says negotiations are at an impasse and he is ordering the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order the resumption of all operations at the ports and move negotiations to binding arbitration.

Workers at the port of Montreal were locked out on Sunday and workers in Vancouver on the Pacific coast have been in lockdown since November 4.

“There is a limit to the economic self-destruction that Canadians are willing to accept,” MacKinnon said. “In the face of economic self-destruction, there is an obligation to intervene. As Minister of Labor, this responsibility falls to me.

MacKinnon said C$1.3 billion ($930 million) worth of goods are affected every day. He said it impacts supply chains, the economy and Canada’s reputation as a reliable trading partner. He said the parties showed an alarming lack of urgency.

Business groups were calling for government intervention to restart the flow of goods.

The decision to end the shutdowns comes after the government intervened to end disrupted operations on Canada’s two main rail companies in August.

MacKinnon says he hopes operations can be restored within a few days.