TORONTO -- Rail blockades in Ontario, Quebec and B.C. are stalling the nation鈥檚 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 isn鈥檛 being looked at as a reliable supplier, so commodity prices are falling, Greer told 麻豆影视 Channel Friday.
鈥淣ot only is it bad, but every hour and every day it goes on it gets worse,鈥� said Greer. 鈥淚t 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.鈥�
The ongoing protests in solidarity with the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n 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 麻豆影视 Channel Friday that Canadian manufacturers rely on about 4,500 rail cars a day and produce about $200 billion in GDP annually.
鈥淪o any day that we鈥檙e not at full tilt we鈥檙e losing millions of dollars鈥� and losing ground to producers elsewhere, he said.
A rail shutdown means that companies can鈥檛 get goods to market and can鈥檛 run production lines once inventories of parts, commodities, and raw materials are depleted. That will eventually shutter plants, he said.
鈥淭he issue, of course, for rail is that you can鈥檛 substitute most of these things on to other forms of transportation. They are just too big and bulky,鈥� said Darby.
Via Rail鈥檚 cancellation of passenger service across Canada also hurts business, said Greer, because that means tens of thousands of people can鈥檛 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 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 it鈥檚 Canadian businesses, communities and workers and their families that are paying the price,鈥� he said.
鈥淣o one wants to see violence or anyone harmed, but at the same time this cannot continue uninterrupted.鈥�
Ta鈥橩aiya 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.
鈥淲e 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,鈥� Blaney said on 麻豆影视 Channel Friday.
鈥淭hat is unconstitutional how it鈥檚 been conducting itself within Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n territory.鈥�
Blaney, who is a member of Indigenous Youth for Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n, said the disruptions to rail traffic wouldn鈥檛 have been necessary had Canada conducted itself as it promised and that protesters are seeking to protect the livelihoods of their Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n relatives.
Sutherland-Wilson, who is of the Gitxsan First Nation, said the provincial government has infringed upon Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n rights and title on their territory and is 鈥渆ssentially 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 that鈥檚 very problematic.鈥�
He said First Nations across the country are banding together to make clear to the province and to Canada 鈥渢hat it will be far costlier to allow this project to run its course than to revoke the permits.鈥�
