Both CN and Via Rail resumed service Saturday morning between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal after a small group of Aboriginal protesters forced closures on Friday.
The planned Day of Action protests were generally peaceful across Canada though Mohawk demonstrators in eastern Ontario, near the town of Deseronto, forced three blockades.
The protesters blocked a secondary highway and the main CN Rail line, prompting police to close a stretch of the busy Highway 401 for about 11 hours yesterday.
In a statement on their website, CN Rail said Saturday that it "expects to resume operations and cancel a traffic embargo on its Toronto-Montreal main line this morning after protesters ended an illegal occupation of its tracks."
Before the line starts up again, CN's track maintenance workers and CN Police will inspect the infrastructure for any problems, says the release.
Via Rail also issued a press release Saturday saying train service would resume today between Montreal-Toronto and Ottawa-Toronto.
"Due to the heavy congestion on the rail line caused by the blockade, Via is anticipating delays of from one to two hours in total trip time," says the release.
CN's Toronto-Montreal corridor is the busiest on its system with an average of 25 freight trains and 22 Via Rail trains daily.
Day of Action
Though the day started out with the blockades, most groups settled for just slowing down traffic by handing out flyers, holding rallies and making brief speeches pleading their case.
Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice said he has heard the protesters, and his government has much work to do.
"We have heard today the message that was transmitted by people who held peaceful, respectful rallies and demonstrations across the country," Prentice told a press conference in Ottawa.
"There were some demonstrations to the public, in eastern Ontario in particular, as a result of illegal blockades -- blockades, that I would point out, that were denounced by many aboriginal leaders across Canada who believe in negotiation rather than confrontation."
He added that there is "much work to be done" to tackle issues raised by protesters.
Political leaders also stepped out and joined the protests. Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, and New Democrat Leader Jack Layton attended a rally on Parliament Hill while NDP MP Alexa McDonough joined a vigil in Halifax at the foot of the MacDonald Bridge.
At the provincial boundary between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Mi'kmaq protesters and their supporters slowed traffic along the Trans-Canada Highway but didn't attempt to block the road. The highway is a sore spot with the Mi'kmaq community as they say it runs through their traditional land.
In Kahnawake, Quebec, protesters blocked the Mercier Bridge for almost two hours, by putting up flags and making speeches.
In Alberta, native chiefs placed an ad in daily newspapers calling for an end to colonization which they say is to blame for the poverty among First Nations communities.
