Blockades of rail lines across Canada continue, with Canada’s prime minister cutting short an international trip to address the crisis, which saw new blockades develop over the weekend, and warnings of shortages and other commodities as the service disruption entered its 12th day.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cancelled a scheduled trip to Barbados for a meeting of leaders from the Caribbean Community and returned home following a trip to Africa and Europe. The CBC reported Trudeau held a series of private meetings with cabinet officials including Transport Minister Marc Garneau.
Saturday, the Canadian government’s Indigenous Services minister, Marc Miller, met with representatives of the Mohawk Nation to discuss the Belleville, Ontario, blockade that led Canadian National to shut down operations in eastern Canada, which in turn led to a national stoppage of VIA Rail Canada service. Miller said Saturday night that the nine hours of talks produced “modest progress” but that “there’s a lot more work to be done.”
Miller told CTV News that he believed using force to end the Belleville blockade and others would only result in more disruptive future protests: “My advice to my colleagues is let’s make sure we get to a peaceful solution. That involves dialogue.”
Among the new blockades were two in the Toronto area, one of which disrupted GO Transit commuter trains. Protesters said on Twitter that they had been served with injunctions to end the blockades, but posted photographs of those injunctions being burned.
Meanwhile, the CEO of the Canadian Propane Association said rationing of propane has begun in the Atlantic provinces and is under consideration in Quebec, and that trucks are facing long lines to be loaded with propane in Ontario. The senior vice president, public affairs, for the Retail Council of Canada said consumers could face shortages of household projects, including personal hygiene products and infant formula, as well as fresh food, if the blockades continue. The council represents 45,000 retailers in Canada.
Are there road blockages?
George: An excellent expansion./comment on Christophe’s post. But hardly likely to make an impression on the “anything that interferes with profits is terrorism” crowd.
I am all for dialog. But not with a few hundred people trespassing on private property. Clear the rails so the dialog can proceed.
If someone wants to protest in my front yard, I am not going to sit down in the yard and cross my knees and say “let’s chat” before they leave.
Everyone needs to read Christophe Parker’s comment a thousand times. Canada is not the U.S., First Nations in Canada have more rights than Native Americans do in the U.S.. I don’t know what those are but they might be similar to the rights give to Aboriginal tribes in Australia. First they have to decide who is that does make the decisions for the First Nation tribes, the councils or the Chiefs…my bet is it’s going to end up being the Chiefs that win out, they still follow old traditions. Remember, this is like people that move into a house near the railroad and then complain, the railroad was there first. In this case the First Nations people where there first and the railroads and pipelines came later…in my book the pipelines lose and can have their routes dictated by the First Nations.
Does everyone forget three years ago when a neighboring government obtained a new leader, there was an terroirs demonstration against a oil pipeline at the one final location of completion but this new leader fixed the delay real quick. Its all a matter of leadership.
Russel the special rail car could be a rotary snow plow or a RPO baggage car set up as a jail. What a joke as out of control.
It isn’t just protesters/terrorists. That these are First Nations (Indians) doing the protesting is a legal and cultural complication that does not have a corresponding U.S. equivalent. It makes the power dynamics different and the consequences of just clearing the protesters much higher.
CURTIS – Spression of MASS protests (Gandhi’s India) usually does backfire as you say. Suppresseion of a handful of whiners holdong up a nation of 40 million who despise them with no cause is in this case called for.
JOHN – Blame Trudeau? I blame the voters. Weeks into his first term I knew he was a worthless schoolboy. How or why he was re-elected escapes me.
Blame Justin Trudeau. The PM waits until he “has” to leave before cancelling the trip because the optics are bad (sitting in Barbados while propane is rationed in snowbound provinces).
Agreeing to talks while they block rail lines is bad policy. Clear the lines first, then will talk will sets a better baseline to work things out.
Ultimately it isn’t about the environment, its about money.
History teaches that suppression of protest usually backfires.
Canadian consumers and retailers are learning firsthand the importance of railways.
Meanwhile, why do the First Nation tribes blockade the mode that is a more flexible and a better alternative to pipelines they oppose? They should encourage and promote rail shipment of oil and gas instead.
Well said CHARLES
When the rule of law goes into the toilet, seeking “peaceful solutions” is only perceived as weakness and fear.
How does a proposed pipeline shut down a railroad?
Send Trump up there to negotiate. If they don’t move give him a couple of SD 70’s with a snowplow and he’ll clear it. Let Justin go to Barbados. Better off without him.
Talk? Talk? Instead of talking to these terrorists, call in the Mounties and be done with it. If the Mounties lack the wherewithal, call in the Forces, who have a base right nearby at Kingston.
It speaks badly of Canada that they’ve put up with this. Any other nation would have cleared out the terrorist thugs long ago.
Peaceful protest is a right but no one has a right to disrupt the peaceful activities of others – such as essential transportation. A government that tolerates this is failing to protect the rights of the citizenry in general. Not only is this weak leadership, it’s stupid.
This is what weak leadership produces.
Time for CN and CP to build a special rail car and put it the lead of a locomotive and blast through the blockade’s.
Trying to negotiate with criminals will only embolden others who have their own causes that they want to put forth. I hope this teaches the Canadian voters that electing Liberals is not wise. End the blockades with rubber bullets and water cannons and then sit down and negotiate a solution. In some cases war is the answer.