B.C. RCMP OFFER TO PULL BACK
Rail blockades enter third week
OTTAWA • Even as RCMP officers in British Columbia offered to move back from Wet’suwet’en territory — meeting one of the key demands of Indigenous protesters — there was still no end in sight to nationwide railway blockades.
The economically punishing blockades are now entering their third week and have led to layoffs and fears of supply shortages, with government ministers still unable to secure a meeting with the Indigenous leaders behind the protest.
The B.C. RCMP announced Thursday they would be moving a temporary detachment away from the main protest site in Wet’suwet’en territory, in northern British Columbia.
The detachment was set up to remove a protest camp impeding a forestry road and construction of the Coastal Gaslink pipeline project.
The RCMP said it would still ensure the road remained open, but officers would move back to the detachment in Houston, B.C.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair stressed the RCMP made the decision on their own.
“They have been making very thoughtful operational decisions with respect to their involvement,” he said. “It’s an acknowledgment that circumstances have changed there.”
Officers moved in last month to clear a long-standing road blockade preventing the company from continuing work on the pipeline project. Elected band councils in the area support the project, but it’s opposed by hereditary chiefs in the area.
Protests supporting the hereditary chiefs have sprung up across the country, including rail blockades in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta that have brought service to a halt across large parts of the country.
In the House of Commons, Conservatives denounced the Liberals’ response as a lack of leadership. Via Rail announced nearly 1,000 layoffs as a result of the ongoing dispute and CN Rail was also letting 450 workers go on a temporary basis until the tracks were cleared.
“It is completely unjust for up to 1,500 people to have to go without a paycheque because some people are breaking the law,” said Conservative leader Andrew Scheer.
Scheer said the government was caving to activists and the dispute had nothing to do with Indigenous people.
“These anti-free market, anti-energy activists have nothing to do with reconciliation.”
Many premiers were also demanding a harder line from the Liberal government. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney described the protests as “anarchy” on Wednesday and Premier François Legault was demanding protesters be given an ultimatum. All of Canada’s premiers were set to have a teleconference late Thursday about the crisis with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Finance Minister Bill Morneau acknowledged the sweeping economic impacts of the railway shutdown and didn’t rule out the possibility businesses could be compensated for losses.
“We have businesses that are experiencing real challenges, but as I said the situation is very fluid,” he said. “The time right now for us is to try and resolve it as quickly as we can. That is what we’re working towards and we’ll be able to think about all those things once we get to a conclusion.”
Crown Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett has been reaching out to the hereditary chiefs who oppose the Coastal Gaslink project since at least Sunday.
Several of the hereditary chiefs travelled to Montreal on Thursday and were set to head to Tyendinaga Mohawk territory to thank the protesters that had set up railway blockades in support of their protest.
Bennett said she was in contact with the hereditary chiefs, but no date for a meeting aimed at ending the crisis had been set. She said she was hopeful the RCMP pullback would allow the conversations to happen.
“The temporary detachment on their land was a very significant obstacle to continuing dialogue.”
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said with all of the Indigenous groups together there was a chance to resolve the dispute.
“This is an opportunity to get everyone around the table, which is precisely what everyone asked for in order to get to a peaceful resolution.”