The rampage was at least partly a response to special legislation that would send some 56,000 "non-operations" employees at Canadian National and Canadian Pacific back to work after about 10 days of job action. That violent scene at Parliament Hill bears little resemblance to the peaceful rallies that dotted Canadian cities over the past week amid a work stoppage at the country's two major railways. But a throughline around wages, working conditions and job stability — as well as economic consequences — runs through stories of rail stoppages over the years. Simultaneous strikes at CN and CP — now known as Canadian Pacific Kansas City — stopped rail traffic from coast to coast in 1950, 1966, 1973 and 1987. However, this month's four-day shutdown, which ended Monday morning after a labour tribunal decision ordered the companies and their workers to resume operations, was the first time that the two railways had locked out their employees simultaneously.