On Parliament Hill

Time to Act on Illegal Blockades

  • Ted Falk, Author
  • Member of Parliament, Provencher

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to capitulate to radical activists blocking Canada’s infrastructure.

Despite demanding the blockades come down, Mr. Trudeau has failed to back up his demands with action.

Emboldened by the lack of federal leadership, these activists have set up more blockades and protests all over Canada – including here in Provencher.

This is unacceptable.

Some 1500 people have already lost their jobs. Canada’s economy has lost hundreds of millions of dollars and every day law-abiding Canadians have been prevented from getting to work.

On Sunday, as a result of the unrest, Teck Frontier Ltd. withdrew its application for a massive energy project in Alberta. The project was expected to create 9,500 jobs.

In the same way the vast majority of the Wet’suwet’en people voted in favour of the CGL Pipeline, 14 First Nations and Metis communities had signed participation agreements with Teck Frontier.

These radical activists are misappropriating the reconciliation agenda to shut down Canada’s energy sector, and hurting those they claim to represent.

To that end, this week Canada’s Conservatives put forward the following motion:

“That the House stand in solidarity with every elected band council on the Coastal GasLink route, the majority of hereditary chiefs, and the vast majority of the Wet’suwet’en people, who support the Coastal GasLink project, and condemn the radical activists who are exploiting divisions within the Wet’suwet’en community, holding the Canadian economy hostage, and threatening jobs and opportunities in Indigenous communities.”

Sadly, Conservatives were the only party to support the motion.

The courts have ruled that these blockades are illegal and must end.

The Prime Minister has the authority and the imperative. It’s time for him to act.