CN Rail lays off some 400 managers as tariffs take a bite out of shipping volumes

A CN locomotive sits idle at the CN Stuart Yard in Hamilton, Ont., Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway Co. is laying off about 400 managers as tariffs imposed by the U.S. and Canada take a toll on freight traffic.

The cuts affect more than six per cent of the company’s non-unionized workforce.

CN spokeswoman Ashley Michnowski says the Montreal-based company has been “adjusting its unionized and management head count across Canada and the U.S to reflect the business environment.”

Steep sectoral tariffs on steel, aluminum, auto and lumber imports by U.S. President Donald Trump have dented CN shipping volumes, with year-over-year traffic down in the spring and early summer.

On Wednesday, rival railway Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. said profits rose despite tariff disruptions, which cut into its steel and forest products business.

The CN layoffs arrive the same month that chief field operating officer Derek Taylor abruptly left the company, less than two years after he took up the role.

The country’s largest railway is slated to report its third-quarter earnings on Friday morning.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2025

The Canadian Press