Sask. premier calls meeting of provincial leaders to discuss ongoing rail blockades

Saskatchewan’s Premier Scott Moe will be hosting a conference call of Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders on Wednesday to discuss ongoing protests and rail blockades related to pipeline opposition by some Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs.

Moe, acting as chair of the Council of the Federation, tweeted on Tuesday night that he is convening the conference call to address “a lack of federal leadership in addressing this ongoing illegal activity.”

Saskatchewan’s premier also tweeted a link to an article about CN announcing layoffs for 450 workers due to the protest blockades.

The Wet’suwet’en solidary blockades stem from that First Nation’s hereditary chiefs vehement opposition to the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline, which crosses through their territory, due to environmental concerns. The Wet’suwet’en elected council approved the pipeline.

There have been nationwide protests in support of the hereditary chiefs over the past two weeks. This includes rail blockades, which have led to significant disruptions in parts of the country. Last week, CN shut down its operations in Eastern Canada as a result.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was “past time” these protests ended, but offered no clear path forward other than offering to speak with protesters. The prime minister added using force to remove the blockades would not be helpful.

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