TORONTO — Three Canadian Football League teams canceled their opening training-camp practices Sunday, a day after the league and players’ union broke off negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement.
The Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts canceled practices, with more teams expected to follow suit.
The previous CBA expired at midnight, with the CFL Players’ Association directing players from seven of the nine teams to participate in a work stoppage beginning at 12:01 a.m. EDT Sunday. Players with the Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders reported to their camps because they will not be in a legal strike position under Alberta laws until later this month.
“We shouldn’t be out here right now,” Stampeders linebacker Jameer Thurman said. “The rest of the league’s on strike. We voted to be on strike as well, but the Alberta laws are a little bit different, so we’re required to be out here, but we stand with the PA and everything. Hopefully, we can get this resolved and get back to playing football.”
The lone previous CFL strike came in 1974 and was resolved before the start of the season.