TORONTO -- Rail blockades in Ontario, Quebec and B.C. are stalling the nationâs economy, warn business leaders, but protesters say the real issues are Indigenous rights and livelihoods.
The halting of CN Rail service in eastern Canadawill impact businesses of all sizes, along with employees and consumers, said Ryan Greer, senior director of transportation at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Propane reserves are at about five days in Atlantic Canada, mining companies are curtailing operations and agricultural exporters say Canada isnât being looked at as a reliable supplier, so commodity prices are falling, Greer told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel Friday.
âNot only is it bad, but every hour and every day it goes on it gets worse,â said Greer. âIt creates more backlogs, it creates more uncertainty in global markets, and it impacts not only our collective wellbeing, but the reputation of Canada in global supply chains.â
The ongoing protests in solidarity with the Wetâsuwetâen First Nation against construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline have caused blockades across the country at government legislatures and major rail crossings.
Dennis Darby, president and CEO of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association, says rail lines are crucial supply links east to west across Canada and south into the U.S., and in a world of just-in-time delivery, the sudden and unexpected shutdown of rail freight will quickly cause havoc.
Darby told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel Friday that Canadian manufacturers rely on about 4,500 rail cars a day and produce about $200 billion in GDP annually.
âSo any day that weâre not at full tilt weâre losing millions of dollarsâ and losing ground to producers elsewhere, he said.
A rail shutdown means that companies canât get goods to market and canât run production lines once inventories of parts, commodities, and raw materials are depleted. That will eventually shutter plants, he said.
âThe issue, of course, for rail is that you canât substitute most of these things on to other forms of transportation. They are just too big and bulky,â said Darby.
Via Railâs cancellation of passenger service across Canada also hurts business, said Greer, because that means tens of thousands of people canât get to their jobs or travel for business.
He is urging all levels of government to work together to end the blockades immediately. Hope and intent are not enough-- outcomes are what matters, said Greer.
âItâs one thing to call a blockade illegal but until rail service is resumed, all levels of government are not upholding their collective responsibility to uphold the rule of law in this country. And ultimately itâs Canadian businesses, communities and workers and their families that are paying the price,â he said.
âNo one wants to see violence or anyone harmed, but at the same time this cannot continue uninterrupted.â
TaâKaiya Blaney and Kolin Sutherland-Wilson, who took part in the blockage of government buildings in Victoria this week, say protesters are resorting to blockades as a last resort.
âWe stand for Canada to uphold, observe and be accountable to its promises to negotiate in good faith with Indigenous nations and that cannot come with the conditions of coercion, military invasion, exclusion zones that bar them access to their territory,â Blaney said on ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel Friday.
âThat is unconstitutional how itâs been conducting itself within Wetâsuwetâen territory.â
Blaney, who is a member of Indigenous Youth for Wetâsuwetâen, said the disruptions to rail traffic wouldnât have been necessary had Canada conducted itself as it promised and that protesters are seeking to protect the livelihoods of their Wetâsuwetâen relatives.
Sutherland-Wilson, who is of the Gitxsan First Nation, said the provincial government has infringed upon Wetâsuwetâen rights and title on their territory and is âessentially saying that as Indigenous nations we do not have the right to say no, that we do not have the right to good-faith negotiations and thatâs very problematic.â
He said First Nations across the country are banding together to make clear to the province and to Canada âthat it will be far costlier to allow this project to run its course than to revoke the permits.â