Via Rail will resume service on the Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa corridor following days of cancellations stemming from blockades set up by people showing solidarity with hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs, who are opposing a natural gas pipeline.
The company says service from Ottawa on trains 22, 24, 26 and 28 and service from Quebec City on trains 33, 35, 37 and 39 will resume on the morning of Feb. 20.
The partial resumption of service follows a notification from CN Rail.
All other Via Rail routes remain cancelled until further notice, the only exceptions being Sudbury-White River and Churchill-The Pas.
“VIA Rail is reaching out directly to passengers with reservations that have not been cancelled to update them on the latest developments,” spokesperson Marie-Anna Murat said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We remain hopeful for an end to the situation as soon as possible and encourage all relevant parties to continue their efforts towards a peaceful resolution.”
Blockades began early February after the RCMP enforced an injunction against Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and their supporters, who were blocking construction of a massive natural gas pipeline in northern British Columbia.
Coastal GasLink, who is building the 670-kilometre pipeline, has signed agreements with 20 elected band councils along the pipeline route. The Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, however, say they have title to a vast section of the land and oppose the construction.
Solidarity protests have emerged in Tyendinaga territory, near Belleville, Ont., as well as in Montreal and in Vancouver.
The blockades have shut down train service across major parts of the country.
CN Rail has obtained a court injunction asking police to end the obstructions, but so far, neither provincial police or the RCMP have enforced it.
Meanwhile, there has been mounting political pressure for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to find a way to end the blockades.
Trudeau participated in a closed-door emergency meeting with cabinet ministers Monday where they discussed possible resolutions.
He was relatively tight-lipped about the discussion, telling reporters afterwards that he understands how concerning the crisis is to all Canadians and that his government will “continue to focus on resolving the situation quickly and peacefully.”
On Tuesday morning, several First Nations leaders addressed the ongoing situation.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde said the uprisings across Canada emphasize the need for peace and dialogue. He said Canadians from all walks of lives are coming together, asking Canada to “wake up.”
Bellegarde said that the government needs to formalize and process with Wet’suwet’en people and grant time to have those discussions.
“Our people are taking action because they want to see action,” he said.
“No one said reconciliation would be easy. This is hard work. If we’re going to move this country forward, it’s long overdue. We need to see that nation-to-nation dialogue.”
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Grand Chief Joe Norton of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake said the issue at the heart of the crisis is nothing new.
“This goes back in time,” he said.
“It’s a time for us to come back together. It’s time for us to seek out the proper way of dealing with issues and matters as they arise. We have a partner, if you will, the partner is Canada and the provinces, they need to realize they are the cause of these things that happen. It’s not by accident. It’s by the ways the laws are put in place, the constitution, the courts, all that stuff is against us.”
Trudeau is expected to deliver a speech in the House of Commons on the blockades and Wet’suwet’en protests at 11 a.m. Thursday.
— With files from the Canadian Press
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