Indigenous blockades at ports and railways in 2020 were tolerated by the Liberals because it was part of its “broader commitments to reconciliation,” according to briefing notes..Blacklock’s Reporter said federal staff wrote First Nation protesters were exercising “important democratic rights..“The Government of Canada is committed to working on these matters in a manner consistent with its broader commitments to reconciliation,” said a 2020 Department of Transport briefing note..“All parties must engage in open and respectful dialogue to ensure this situation is resolved quickly and peacefully..“The right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression are important democratic rights. This disruption affects each and every Canadian.”.Blockades of rail lines and commercial ports followed Wet’suwet’en First Nations protests over the construction of a Coastal Gas Link pipeline in northwest British Columbia. Blockades spread to more than 50 locations, disrupted the nation’s two largest railways and its busiest port in the period from Feb. 2 to Feb. 25, 2020..“The protest blockades have significantly worsened rail service at this time when the rail system was already experiencing strain caused by a combination of factors,” the Department of Agriculture wrote in a briefing note..Staff complained of “significant vessel line-ups at the Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert.”.Federal regulators counted “over 50 blockades across the country” for weeks at a time including a camp on the Canadian National Railway main line at Belleville, Ont., a Canadian Pacific Rail line south of Montréal and multiple blockades in Hamilton and Winnipeg. Protesters also blocked cross-border bridges at Cornwall and Sault Ste.-Marie, Ont..“We recognize the significant impact on the economy and the transportation system,” transport department staff wrote in one memo..The blockades were also “an extreme hazard” to rail crew, it said..Cabinet in a separate Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons at the time described economic disruptions due to the First Nations protests..“The blockades caused challenges to get goods to market,” wrote staff..“Rail disruption presented challenges to many businesses by hampering the transportation of lumber, metals, chemicals and propane as well as manufacturing and consumer goods.”.The 2020 blockades cost $283 million and more than a thousand jobs including layoffs of 450 CN Rail employees, according to a 2020 Parliamentary Budget Office report. VIA Rail alone reported losses of $33.6 million for the period due to a “drastic decline in revenues.”.The blockades ended after then-Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller met with protesters and the Government of British Columbia pledged First Nations elders a $7.2 million grant for work on land claims.
Indigenous blockades at ports and railways in 2020 were tolerated by the Liberals because it was part of its “broader commitments to reconciliation,” according to briefing notes..Blacklock’s Reporter said federal staff wrote First Nation protesters were exercising “important democratic rights..“The Government of Canada is committed to working on these matters in a manner consistent with its broader commitments to reconciliation,” said a 2020 Department of Transport briefing note..“All parties must engage in open and respectful dialogue to ensure this situation is resolved quickly and peacefully..“The right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression are important democratic rights. This disruption affects each and every Canadian.”.Blockades of rail lines and commercial ports followed Wet’suwet’en First Nations protests over the construction of a Coastal Gas Link pipeline in northwest British Columbia. Blockades spread to more than 50 locations, disrupted the nation’s two largest railways and its busiest port in the period from Feb. 2 to Feb. 25, 2020..“The protest blockades have significantly worsened rail service at this time when the rail system was already experiencing strain caused by a combination of factors,” the Department of Agriculture wrote in a briefing note..Staff complained of “significant vessel line-ups at the Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert.”.Federal regulators counted “over 50 blockades across the country” for weeks at a time including a camp on the Canadian National Railway main line at Belleville, Ont., a Canadian Pacific Rail line south of Montréal and multiple blockades in Hamilton and Winnipeg. Protesters also blocked cross-border bridges at Cornwall and Sault Ste.-Marie, Ont..“We recognize the significant impact on the economy and the transportation system,” transport department staff wrote in one memo..The blockades were also “an extreme hazard” to rail crew, it said..Cabinet in a separate Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons at the time described economic disruptions due to the First Nations protests..“The blockades caused challenges to get goods to market,” wrote staff..“Rail disruption presented challenges to many businesses by hampering the transportation of lumber, metals, chemicals and propane as well as manufacturing and consumer goods.”.The 2020 blockades cost $283 million and more than a thousand jobs including layoffs of 450 CN Rail employees, according to a 2020 Parliamentary Budget Office report. VIA Rail alone reported losses of $33.6 million for the period due to a “drastic decline in revenues.”.The blockades ended after then-Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller met with protesters and the Government of British Columbia pledged First Nations elders a $7.2 million grant for work on land claims.
