CN shuts down eastern rail network, Via services
Pressure grows for PM to put an end to blockades
EDMONTON • CN Rail is shutting down its Eastern Canada operations and Via is halting passenger services across the country in the face of Indigenous protests over a natural gas pipeline.
After several days of grappling with blockaded rail lines in Ontario and British Columbia, CN said the “unprecedented ordeal” was forcing the shutdown.
The closures come as Quebec Premier François Legault demanded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has been out of the country drumming up support for a United Nations Security Council seat bid, take action.
“It’s up to Justin Trudeau to solve the problem,” Legault said Thursday. “It does not concern Quebec, it does not concern Ontario, it concerns the federal government. It’s up to them to find the solution.”
His concerns were echoed by Greg Rickford, Ontario’s Indigenous Affairs minister, who issued a statement: “This is a national issue affecting all of Canada. It is imperative that the federal government take a more proactive role.”
Trudeau spoke with British Columbia Premier John Horgan about the blockades on Thursday. A version of the call released by the Prime Minister’s Office said both agreed that freedom of expression was a democratic right, but the law must be respected. “The prime minister and premier also discussed how progress on both climate change and reconciliation must continue to be at the forefront of all government actions,” said the PMO.
The shutdown includes both freight and passenger rail service operated by Via Rail. The company, in a statement on its website, suggested there could be layoffs of temporary employees.
“This situation is regrettable for its impact on the economy and on our railroaders as these protests are unrelated to CN’s activities, and beyond our control,” said J.J. Ruest, president and CEO of CN.
“With over 400 trains cancelled during the last week and new protests that emerged at strategic locations on our main line, we have decided that a progressive shutdown of our Eastern Canadian operations is the responsible approach to take for the safety of our employees and the protesters.”
The company’s operations have been held up since last week by protests near Belleville, Ont., and New Hazelton, B.C., done in solidarity with B.C. Indigenous leaders who oppose the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline through their territory.
Near Montreal, members of the Kahnawake Mohawk Nation had blocked a Canadian Pacific rail line.
Rail traffic has ground to a standstill as a result, with CN warning earlier this month there are risks to Canada’s business reputation. Ports around the country have expressed concern about the economic effects of a long-term shutdown.
CN has obtained court orders to put an end to the blockades in British Columbia and Ontario. On Wednesday, a blockade popped up near Winnipeg, but had been taken down by midday Thursday.
“The orders of the court in Ontario have yet to be enforced and continue to be ignored,” the company said.
IT CONCERNS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IT’S UP TO THEM TO FIND THE SOLUTION.
It was, as of press time, unclear what the status was of the New Hazelton blockade. British Columbia RCMP said they may be “asked to assist” but there were CN police in the province, too.
Via Rail was telling customers on social media that its entire transportation network was shut down. In the lead-up to Thursday’s announcement — which comes just before the Family Day long weekend in much of the country — hundreds of train journeys had been cancelled, leaving more than 24,000 passengers looking for new arrangements. While Via operations are heavily clustered in Ontario and Quebec, it does operate a few routes through Western Canada and out to the Maritimes.
Later, Via issued a statement saying it had “no other option but to cancel all of its services on the network, effective immediately and until further notice.”
Passengers were informed that as of 4 p.m. ET, there would be no more departures. All Via Rail trains currently en route would be brought to the closest major station, the company said.
“We understand the impact this unfortunate situation has on our passengers and regret the significant inconvenience this is causing to their travel plans.”
On Thursday, the federal government and the B.C. government reached out to demonstrators, asking for meetings to discuss the end of the blockades. In a statement, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said, “I am meeting with my provincial and territorial counterparts, as well as representatives of national Indigenous organizations tomorrow and will be discussing a way forward.”
Earlier in the day, Trudeau’s Indigenous Services minister, Marc Miller, had posted a letter he’d sent overnight, in which he requested a meeting on Saturday with the Mohawks of Tyendinaga, who have snarled train traffic through the busy rail corridor near Belleville. Trudeau had urged “dialogue” on Wednesday to solve the problem.
“My request, that I ask you kindly to consider, is to discontinue the protest and barricade of the train tracks as soon as practicable,” Miller wrote. “I hope you will agree to this request and that we can meet in the spirit of peace and cooperation that should guide our relationship.”
In addition to Legault’s demands that something be done, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister expressed frustration when speaking to reporters at the legislature.
“If activities are illegal, they need to be shut down, because there are consequences,” said Pallister. “You have friends who need jobs, you have elders who need health care, you have children who need education. These things aren’t free — they’re paid for by a functioning economy.”
Pallister said there was a need to get at the “root cause” of the protests, which he identified to reporters as the approvals process for resource projects.
“We couldn’t build a TransCanada Highway under these rules, we couldn’t build a national railway system,” said Pallister. “We’re not getting anywhere as a country in the absence of clarity around these rules.”
Sedalia Kawennotas, a Mohawk elder, told the Montreal Gazette earlier this week, “The only way they’re going to pay attention is if we hit them where it hurts: their economy.”
The B.C. premier also publicly released a letter Thursday addressed to Simogyet Spookw, who also goes by Norman Stephens, a chief of the Gitxsan Nation in B.C. In the letter, the premier thanked the chief for reaching out to his office to propose a meeting with hereditary chiefs of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en Nation.
“I confirm our government’s willingness to participate in such a meeting,” Horgan said, adding that his office has urged the federal government to respond as quickly as possible to the proposal. “I understand that on receipt of this letter and a similar commitment from Canada, the blockade of the CN line will be removed to allow for a period of calm and peaceful dialogue.”
As well as the rail protests, there have been various other actions, such as blockades of Vancouver and Delta ports (which saw dozens of arrests early this week) held in solidarity with the hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs who object to the Coastal GasLink pipeline that runs from the Dawson Creek area to Kitimat on the northwestern B.C. coast.
The $6.6-billion pipeline project, spanning 670 km through the interior, touches on parts of the 22,000 square kilometres of B.C. the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs consider their own; the 20 elected band councils along the pipeline’s route have signed agreements with Coastal GasLink Pipeline Ltd.