GOVT IS FAILING TO STOP RAIL BLOCKADES, RUES TRUDEAU
Ottawa:canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged his government’s efforts to negotiate a solution to rail blockades across the country have failed and signalled he would be open to police intervention.
Efforts by his ministers to reach out have not been productive and he has “no choice” but to stop making overtures and call for the barricades to come down, Trudeau said at a press conference on Friday in Ottawa.
“We cannot continue to watch Canadians suffer shortages and layoffs,” the prime minister told reporters, adding that the responsibility to enforce court orders lies with provincial police forces. “The barricades must now come down,” he said.
The comments represent a dramatic turn of events in the third week of blockades that have crippled the nation’s rail network, shutting down freight traffic in eastern Canada and bringing a halt to most intercity passenger service. As recently as yesterday, Trudeau’s government had emphasized the need to engage with protesters and indigenous groups in the hopes of a reaching a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Environmental and indigenous-rights activists have obstructed rail lines in several provinces, protesting the construction of TC Energy’s planned $5 billion Coastal Gaslink project.
The pipeline would ship natural gas to an export facility under construction on the coast of British Columbia that is backed by Royal Dutch Shell, Petrochina. and three other partners.