Premier Scott Moe鈥檚 position on blockades and pipeline protests was made clear in a Facebook post he made on Feb. 12. They must end.聽
In sharing a National Post article entitled, Wet'suwet'en solidarity blockade: CN Rail says 'significant' parts of rail network may close if protests go on, Moe wrote, 鈥淥n Monday, I returned from Washington, D.C. from meetings with key decision-makers in the United States. One of the topics that came up repeatedly was the discussion surrounding cross-border infrastructure, particularly pipelines. These discussions became all the more relevant after a train derailment that we now know released 1.2 million litres of oil just outside of Guernsey.
鈥淟et me be clear: the oil on that train should have been in a pipeline. Pipeline projects should be supported as the safest method of transporting some of the most sustainable energy products in the world, and the construction of these projects puts thousands along the routes to work.
鈥淐ontrary to this, we see the national conversation around pipelines devolving into a discussion around protestors holding nationwide blockades illegally. These blockades are hijacking rail access and illegally disrupting the daily lives of Canadians, targeting legislators or intimidating journalists. Yesterday, CN issued warnings that their rail system could be shut down due to these blockades, vastly impacting one of our only methods of transporting products like sustainable agricultural, potash or manufacturing goods.
鈥淭he rule of law is a fundamental pillar of our Canadian democracy. When did the right to protest turn into the right to illegally impede the lives and livelihoods of law-abiding Canadians?鈥� Moe concluded.
CN shuts down portions of network
On Feb. 11, CN put out a press release from Montreal, stating, 鈥淐N announced that it will be forced to shut down significant parts of its Canadian network imminently unless the blockades on its rail lines are removed.鈥�
By Feb. 13, their warning was acted upon, and the largest rail carrier in the country shut down large parts of its network. That, in turn, meant Via Rail had to shut down all of its operations on CN lines. The only Via service remaining in operation was the Sudbury-White River (CP Rail) and Churchill-The Pas (Hudson Bay Railway), until further notice.
CN said on Feb. 13, 鈥淭he company has been forced to initiate a disciplined and progressive shutdown of its operations in Eastern Canada. This will include stopping and safely securing all trans-continental trains across its Canadian network and may imminently lead to temporary layoffs within the company鈥檚 Eastern Canadian operational staff."
CN sought and obtained court orders and requested the assistance of enforcement agencies for the illegal blockades in Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia. While the illegal blockades have come to an end in Manitoba and maybe ending imminently in British Columbia, the orders of the court in Ontario have yet to be enforced and continue to be ignored. The company has tried to adjust its operations to serve customers in the face of these challenges, said it is now left with the only remaining responsible option: progressively shutting down its Eastern Canadian operations until the end of the illegal blockades.
鈥淲ith over 400 trains cancelled during the last week and new protests that emerged at strategic locations on our mainline, we have decided that a progressive shutdown of our Eastern Canadian operations is the responsible approach to take for the safety of our employees and the protestors,鈥� said JJ Ruest, president and chief executive officer at CN. 鈥淭his situation is regrettable for its impact on the economy and on our railroaders as these protests are unrelated to CN's activities, and beyond our control. Our shutdown will be progressive and methodical to ensure that we are well set up for recovery, which will come when the illegal blockades end completely.鈥�
鈥淯nfortunately, intercity Via Rail service will be discontinued across our Canadian network. However, commuter rail services, such as Metrolinx and Exo, can keep operating so long as they can do so safely. I would like to thank our customers, international supply-chain partners, and industry associations for their support to get this unprecedented ordeal resolved,鈥� he said.
On Feb. 11, Ruest noted, 鈥淚ntermodal containers carrying perishable goods including food and consumer items, Canadian grain, deicing fluid at airports, construction materials, propane to Quebec and Atlantic Canada, natural resources creating rural jobs across Canada such as lumber, aluminum, coal and propane; all of these commodities are already impacted and will see their movements even more diminished. Factories and mines will be soon faced with very difficult decisions.鈥�
