CFL teams start cancelling training camp workouts after contract talks break off

CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders attempted to return to some sort of normality at McMahon Stadium on Sunday under unusual circumstances.

After the CFL and CFL Players’ Association broke off negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement Saturday, the union directed players from seven of the league’s nine teams to participate in a work stoppage. However, players with the Stampeders and Edmonton Elks reported to their respective camps on Sunday since they won't be in a legal strike position until later this month, as per Alberta's labour laws.

"We shouldn’t be out here right now," said Stampeders linebacker Jameer Thurman. "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 league's last labour agreement, reached in 2019 and amended last year to allow the league to stage a 14-game campaign, expired at midnight Saturday.

The lone previous CFL strike came in 1974. The labour situation was resolved before the start of the season that year.

It's unclear when the CFL and CFLPA will resume negotiations to work on a new agreement.

According to Derek Wiggan, Calgary’s union representative, he and his teammates have faith that a deal will get done before the Stamps would be in a legal position to join the strike action in a few days.

"We'll go through the process and then on Wednesday we'll see what happens," said the defensive lineman, who’s entering his seventh season with the Stamps. "I'm really hopeful. We trust in our bargaining team. I know they're going to get us something good, so it's just a matter of