A Nation Entangled, Arrested, Ungoverned

"We cannot solve these problems on the margins. That is not the way forward. Everyone has a stake in getting this right."
"We need to find a solution and we need to find it now."
"Our government has been working on a path forward even as many have said we should give up."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, House of Commons, Ottawa

"Nobody, and I mean nobody, has the right to hold our economy hostage. Standing between our country and prosperity is a small group of radical activists [blockading construction and shutting down the national railways]."
"Will our country be one of the rule of law or one of the rule of the mob?"
Conservative Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer

"The damage inflicted on the Canadian economy and on the welfare of all our citizens mounts with each hour that these illegal disruptions are allowed to continue."
"[The blockades] inflict serious damage on the economy, leaving countless middle-class jobs at risk, many of them in industries that must get their goods, parts and ingredients to and from market by rail."
"In addition to disrupting domestic and global supply chains, the blockades undermine Canada's reputation as a dependable partner in international trade."
Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from 39 industry leaders

"In the case of the Wet'suwet'en [protests], such a process [of consultation and a review process] has taken place. Madam Justice Church, of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, endeavoured to understand the Wet'suwet'en view of the hereditary chiefs' position in their dispute with the province, which has authorized the construction of the Coastal GasLink Pipeline. The hereditary chiefs have chosen not to engage in consultation or challenge the permits and authorizations granted. Instead, they resorted to 'self-help' remedies such as blockades. Having examined the evidence produced by all the parties, Justice Church found that the hereditary chiefs' tactics not only defied Canadian law but were not based on Wet'suwet'en law either. Hence her order that the blackade cease."
Leonid Sirta, professor of public law and legal philosophy, Asher Honickman, president of Advocates for the Rule of Law

The Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline represents a $6.5-billion project extending from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Kitimat, B.C., some 670 kilometres in length where part of the route goes through traditional Wet'suwet'en territory. Five of the six Wet'suwet'en reserve bands, through their democratically-elected chiefs, signed on to agreements with the company, while five of the hereditary chiefs have chosen to reject the pipeline. They had suggested an alternate route that they might support, but the company decided to remain with its original route.

Their opposition to the plan has led to sympathizers, Wet'suwet'en youth, environmental groups both from within Canada and from the U.S., along with university students, taking part in protests from one end of the country to the other, along with rail blockades which have caused Canada's Canadian National Railway and its passenger-carrying subsidiary ViaRail, to halt service over the past two weeks, creating a critical situation for the transport of goods and services from East to West.

Court orders have been secured against the dissenting chiefs and their supporters, which only served to spark greater protests leading to solidarity rail blockades country-wide, while the protesters have ignored the court orders and police at every level, from federal to provincial to municipal have walked on tenterhooks, without political direction from any level of executive government. The federal government has steadfastly refused to take action other than to repeat platitudes favoured by the prime minister.

Meetings between the chiefs and protest leaders and federal ministers have produced no solution. The B.C. legislature was temporarily shut down by a protest refusing entry to ministers to their Victoria legislature building, including entry of the federal deputy prime minister. Canadian National has announced a lay-off, albeit temporary, of a thousand employees. Business leaders are pleading with the government to take action to disperse the protesters and arrest the radicals among them for defying court injunctions.

Jason Franson/THE CANADIAN PRESS

A counter protestor argues with supporters of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs as they block a CN Rail line just west of Edmonton Feb. 19, 2020.

Counter-protesters showed up at a blockade just outside Edmonton on Wednesday and did the work that the police, the government at every level have failed to do; convince the protesters that they should break off and vacate the blockade, leaving the counter-protesters to clean up after the protesters left the site. An Edmonton judge later in the day granted a 30-day injunction for all rail lines in Alberta, reflecting the understanding that the dispute is between the Wet'suwet'en hereditary and elected chiefs, while the blockades are doing harm to the country.

"Albertans will not be economic hostages while lawbreakers block critical infrastructure such as rail lines", Alberta Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer stated, adding that he expects police to do their job by enforcing the order on any blockades within the province. Which is precisely what the police at every level should be doing, and the government insisting they do so, by making it clear that the federal government intends them to obey court injections imposed for the purpose of upholding law and order in the country.

Instead, Justin Trudeau called an emergency meeting with all the opposition leaders in Parliament, deliberately excluding the major opposition leader, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer who represents the wishes of more Canadians in the popular vote count than the now-minority-Liberal government of Justin Trudeau. Vindictive, petty, unstable, vain and incapable of governing, Justin Trudeau has given evidence time and again that Canada would be far better off if he returned to work as a high school drama coach, a profession more suited to his temperament and competency level.

Jason Franson/THE CANADIAN PRESS    A supporter of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, left, and a counter protestor remove a blockade after a lawsuit was served to protestors just west of Edmonton on Feb. 19, 2020.