Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media, flanked by (l-r) Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett and Transport Minister Marc Garneau in Ottawa on Feb. 21, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Patrick Doyle)

Trudeau demands rail blockades be lifted

Canadians' patience running out, PM says

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday demanded aboriginal protesters lift rail blockades that are hurting the economy and made clear police should, if necessary, enforce injunctions to remove the obstacles. Trudeau also told a news conference that the Liberal government’s talks with various indigenous leaders over the last two weeks […] Read more




A CN freight train remains halted as train tracks are blocked two km away at Tyendinaga, Ont., east of Belleville, on Feb. 14, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Helgren)

Fraser: Rail blockades should be a lesson for all

Reading Time: 3 minutes Our latest so-called national crisis led to calls for police to arrest protesters and tear down blockades, but perhaps we should be thinking about how to prevent conflicts like this from happening in the first place. It’s amazing how much can change in just a few days. Canada’s Agriculture Day on Feb. 11 brought together […] Read more


A demonstrator stands at a blockade on CN track west of Edmonton on Feb. 19, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Codie McLachlan)

Grain vessels backing up at West Coast

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Vessels waiting to ship grain off Canada’s West Coast are backing up as blockades across the country slow rail traffic, according to reports tracking grain movement. Railway blockades have sprung up at a number of locations across the country over the past two weeks, as protestors express solidarity with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs opposing […] Read more

Federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller meets with representatives of the Mohawk Nation at the site of a rail stoppage at Tyendinaga, Ont., east of Belleville, on Feb. 15, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Carlos Osorio)

Passenger trains to run again, pipeline protests block freight

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Passenger rail operator Via Rail said Tuesday it would soon resume partial services between Quebec City and Ottawa while the government sought to end anti-pipeline protests that are blocking rail freight in Eastern Canada. Via said passenger services between the two cities would start on Thursday after it received a notification […] Read more


Members of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory block tracks serving Via Rail at Tyendinaga, Ont., east of Belleville, on Feb. 13, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Helgren)

CN halts rail traffic in East due to protests

Grain groups seek dispute resolution or enforcement of court orders

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian National Railway (CN) is shutting down its Eastern Canada operations due to ongoing blockades on its rail lines in Ontario. The company announced Thursday it’s been “forced to initiate a disciplined and progressive shutdown” in the region, which means “stopping and safely securing all transcontinental trains across its Canadian network.” The decision “may imminently […] Read more