A rchive Date
[ 23-02-2020 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
|
[https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-trudeau-alienates-all-sides-in-blockade-battle
Trudeau alienates all sides in blockade battle
Brian Lilley
Published: February 22, 2020
How on earth did we get to this point that our country is shutting down when it comes to moving people and vital supplies on the nation’s railways?
The answer isn’t simply that some First Nations protesters backed by environmental activists put up blockades - that’s just scratching the surface. A competent response from the federal government could have ended this long ago.
Instead we have dithering, hand wringing, promises of dialogue with no actual talking and now an impasse.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may have said on Friday that the blockades must come down, this after weeks of calling such comments dangerous, but the call has been met with a defiant no.
The Mohawks behind the blockade in Belleville, Ontario flatly rejected the call by the PM to let the trains through. A group of Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs who had arranged for a meeting with Trudeau and his government for Monday, now say that given the PM’s ultimatum, the meeting won’t happen.
Hereditary chiefs from the Wet’suwet’en First Nation are now touring Ontario and Quebec seeking support, and getting it, from other First Nations communities.
The Prime Minister somehow alienated all sides.
So much for Trudeau’s strategy.
The PM spent the beginning of this crisis pretending it didn’t exist. At first Trudeau and his ministers tried to say dealing with this problem was the responsibility of provincial premiers. He continued to campaign in Africa for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council even as things got worse at home.
It was only as reports of shortages due to the rail blockades began to mount that Trudeau decided to cancel a trip to Barbados to continue his UN campaign.
On Tuesday he called for dialogue again during his speech in the House of Commons. As Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer called for the barricades to come down, Trudeau called Scheer’s comments racist and inflammatory.
Now that he’s making the same call as Scheer, presumably, Trudeau is no longer fit to meet with himself.
Trudeau promised to solve this problem one way, then shifted gears after being thoroughly rejected in his approach. He’s now been rejected once again.
“Prime Minister Trudeau has abandoned First Nations and our land protectors and has put our lives at risk in his latest statements,” said Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald.
“I full heartily support the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs in their call for the removal of the RCMP from their Traditional Territory in order for a proper Nation to Nation discussion to take place.”
Effectively, Trudeau has taken this situation from bad to worse, the question is where does he go now?
Premiers are now calling him out.
“The Prime Minister needs to step up and take responsibility. Enough is enough. The illegal blockades must come down,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Both Ford and Quebec Premier Francois Legault called for Trudeau to work with the provinces.
“The actions must be coordinated by the federal government with each of the provinces,” Legault said.
A senior Ford official said on background that the provinces can’t act alone and that since this is mainly a federal issue, Trudeau needs to lead the effort.
Leadership is something Trudeau has failed to show on this file and it doesn’t appear that this sad fact is about to change.
blilley@postmedia.com
© 2020 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
|