9.87°C Vancouver
Ads

Feb 20, 2020 7:16 PM -

Blair says RCMP have met Wet'suwet'en conditions

Share On
blair-says-rcmp-have-met-wetsuweten-conditions
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair arrives to a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the RCMP in British Columbia has offered to move its officers to a town away from the area where traditional leaders of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation have been opposing a pipeline project on their territory.

Blair said on Parliament Hill Thursday morning he believes this move meets the conditions set by the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and that barricades set up in solidarity with that nation should come down.

"I believe the time has come now for the barricades to come down," Blair said before a cabinet meeting.

"We have met the condition that those who are on the barricades had said was important to them before they would change their posture, and that work has been done, and I think quite appropriately."

The Wet'suwet'en's hereditary chiefs oppose the Coastal GasLink project that would bring natural gas to a liquefaction facility and export terminal on the B.C. coast.

Nationwide protests and blockades followed a move by RCMP to enforce a court injunction earlier this month against the hereditary chiefs and their supporters, who had been obstructing an access road to the company's work site.

The hereditary chiefs have demanded the RCMP leave their traditional land and have refused to meet with federal or provincial officials until this was done. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under increasing pressure to end the blockades, with Conservatives calling for the government to use force, while the Liberal government insists negotiations are the only way to a lasting solution.

Blair said the decision to move officers away from their outpost on the traditional Wet'suwet'en territory to the nearby town of Houston was a decision made by the RCMP in B.C. and added that he agrees it was the right move.

"I'm very proud of the work that was done by the leadership of the RCMP.

Their commitment to peaceful resolution of these complex issues is, I think, quite commendable and Canadians should be very proud of the work that they do," he said.

"It's moving towards a less confrontational and a more peaceable arrangement entirely appropriate to the circumstances, and I'm very hopeful that will satisfy the concerns that were raised."

Latest news

alberta-surpasses-300-measles-cases-as-doctors-warn-of-exponential-increases
AlbertaMay 09, 2025

Alberta surpasses 300 measles cases as doctors warn of exponential increases

More than 300 people in Alberta have fallen ill from measles since March and a group of doctors are warning the virus could grow exponentially in the coming weeks. The Alberta government is reporting 16 new measles cases to bring the province's total count to 313. The rising number has prompted the association representing Alberta doctors to warn of an outbreak that could quickly reach the thousands. Dr. James Talbot, Alberta's former chief medical officer of health, says cases are likely much higher than reported and that for every 1,000 cases, one to three people will likely die.
trump-administration-steps-up-efforts-to-reduce-india-pakistan-tensions
IndiaMay 08, 2025

Trump administration steps up efforts to reduce India-Pakistan tensions

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Thursday with the prime minister of Pakistan and India's foreign minister as the Trump administration stepped up efforts to prevent the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals from going to war. In separate calls with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Rubio ``emphasized the need for immediate de-escalation,'' the State Department said Rubio also ``expressed U.S. support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications,'' according to readout
ontario-reports-almost-200-new-measles-cases-as-virus-spreads-across-canada
CanadaMay 08, 2025

Ontario reports almost 200 new measles cases as virus spreads across Canada

Health officials say measles infected 197 more people in Ontario over the last week as the highly contagious disease emerged in new parts of the country. That brings the province’s tally of probable and confirmed cases to 1,440 since an outbreak began in October. Public Health Ontario’s measles report says there have been 101 hospitalizations, including 75 children. Eight patients have been in intensive care. Nova Scotia and Northwest Territories each reported measles cases earlier this week, marking their first since this outbreak began. Alberta reported yesterday that its overall case co
surrey-mayor-asks-carney-for-a-surrey-mp-in-cabinet
BCMay 08, 2025

Surrey mayor asks Carney for a Surrey MP in cabinet

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke has asked Premier Mark Carney to give the MP from Surrey a seat in his cabinet. She said that Surrey is about to become the first city in BC to reach a population of 1 million and it also borders the United States, so given the city’s development needs, we believe that Surrey should have a strong voice in the federal cabinet. The mayor said that I believe this will be an important step to support and ensure the continued growth of Surrey. She said that the city is growing by an average of 28 residents per day.
nikki-haley-supports-indias-action-against-pakistan
IndiaMay 08, 2025

Nikki Haley supports India's action against Pakistan

American Republican leader Nikki Haley has supported India's action against Pakistan. She said that Pakistan has no right to play the victim card here, no country can be given the right to support terrorism. Nikki Haley said that dozens of Indians were killed in the terrorist attack in India's Pahalgam, so India has every right to retaliate and take steps for its security. It is noteworthy that Nikki Haley is a former governor of South Carolina and has been the US ambassador to the United Nations during President Donald Trump's first term. She was the first Indian-American to be appointed
ADS
Ads

Related News

ADS
Ads