Canada’s Ongoing Rail Blockade Over Indigenous Land Rights

Several arrests have occurred since the protests began, as PM Justin Trudeau tries to quell the opposition (Source)

For nearly three weeks, a series of protests and blockades of important rail lines in Canada has disrupted the country and brought to the forefront a renewed—and often tense—discussion about indigenous rights. The largest blockade, in Tyendinaga, Ontario, was just cleared by police Monday in a contentious showdown in which 10 protesters were arrested; however, protestors and First Nations leaders have stated that the protests and blockades will continue until their demands are met. As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks to de-escalate the situation and find a peaceful resolution, it seems as if though the battle between indigenous rights and business interests in Canada may continue. 

The protests and blockades started in response to plans to build Coastal Gas Link, a TC Energy owned natural gas pipeline that would transport oil from British Columbia’s inland gas fields to a processing plant in Kitimat on the coast, an easily accessible port to distribute the natural gas from. The construction of the processing plant and the Coastal Gas Link Pipeline comes as the U.S. has become less dependent on Canadian oil, causing Canada to look for new markets for its oil, particularly in Asia. However, the pipeline is being built on land controlled by the Wet’suwet’en First Nation. Leaders of the Wet’suwet’en have largely opposed this construction on their land, but there is not universal agreement among Wet’suwet’en people in opposition to the pipeline. Across the country, numerous protests and blockades began in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation and to oppose the construction of the pipeline. The most disruptive blockade, in Tyendinaga, Ontario was led by members of the Mohawk First Nation who, in addition to opposing the pipeline, are also hoping to bring attention to their own land disputes.

The protests and blockades have brought the subject of Indigenous Rights to the center of attention in Canada, disrupted the economy, and caused a challenging crisis for Justin Trudeau. The blockades have led to increases in fuel prices and layoffs of workers in the railroad industry, creating alarm among many Canadians over potential economic issues. However, the reports of total economic disruption are exaggerated, as only the railroad industry has been disrupted; this disruption is fairly minor, as only some lines have closed and railroad service across the country is continuing at normal levels. Further, many of the layoffs are only temporary, and major auto companies that could potentially be disrupted by the railroad blockades have reported little to no disruptions. 

Still, Trudeau has called the blockades “unacceptable and untenable” and demanded that “the barricades must come down now and the injunctions must be obeyed and the law must be upheld.” Trudeau is facing pressure from Canadians and Conservative opposition leader Andrew Scheer, who has criticized him and questioned if Trudeau is handling the situation correctly. On the other hand, Trudeau is also seeking to recognize and honor Indigenous rights—rapprochement with Canada’s First Nations was one of his major goals as he entered office—as he noted that “dialogue and respect” was paramount in regards to the situation. Trudeau is also wary of past incidents in the 1990’s, in Oka, Quebec and Ipperwash, Ontario, when police attempts to end occupations by First Nations protesters turned violent and led to several deaths. 

Early Monday morning, the blockade in Tyendinaga, Ontario was lifted by police officers, who before then were hesitant to use force to end the blockades. News media was barred from witnessing the removal, and a standoff occurred that eventually ended with officers tackling some protesters and 10 activists being arrested. However, Indigenous rights activists and blockade organizers vowed to continue the protests until construction of the Coastal Gas Link pipeline was stopped. Although this major blockade was cleared, Trudeau will still find himself caught in a difficult predicament trying to balance Indigenous rights and business interests as two new rail blockades were established this past weekend.