Justin Trudeau has called for patience and dialogue as his government seeks a peaceful end to a rail blockade that has shut down freight and passenger traffic. But the Canadian prime minister is under increasing pressure from the Conservative opposition to clear the tracks.

For almost two weeks, protesters across the country have taken up the cause of the Wet’suwet’en indigenous people of British Columbia in their campaign against the C$6.6bn (US$4.98bn) 416-mile Coastal GasLink gas pipeline project.

Q&A Who are the Wet’suwet’en? Show The Wet’suwet’en nation have lived on their territories in what is now British Columbia for thousands of years. They have never signed treaties or sold their land to Canada. With a population of about 5,000, the Wet’suwet’en are composed of five clans (Gilseyhu, Likhts’amisyu, Laksilyu, Tsayu and Gidimt’en), which are further divided into 13 house groups, each with its own distinct territories. The Unist’ot’en, the People of the Headwaters, belong to the Gilseyhu clan. Hereditary chiefs are responsible for the health and sustainability of their house group territories, and Wet’suwet’en law prohibits trespass on the territory of other the house groups. Wet’suwet’en people have retained their legal traditions and continue to govern themselves through the Bahtlats (feast hall), where decisions are ratified and clan business is conducted.

In Ontario, Tyendinaga Mohawk protesters have stopped service along a major eastern Canada rail line.

“I know that people’s patience is running short. We need to find a solution and we need to find it now,” Trudeau told parliament on Tuesday. The dispute should be settled by “dialogue and mutual respect” and not through force, he added.

Canadian National Railway Co (CN) has obtained a court injunction to end the blockade in Ontario, but police have so far refrained from using force to uphold it.

Police in British Columbia did clear out protesters, turning the situation into a flashpoint for indigenous demonstrators. The standoff is testing Trudeau’s pledge to repair Ottawa’s relations with First Nations and champion their causes.

The disruption comes as other major energy projects that will affect indigenous peoples hang in the balance, including the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline and the decision on whether to approve Teck Resources Ltd’s Frontier oil sands project.

Andrew Scheer, leader of the official opposition Conservative party, said Trudeau’s response to a national crisis has been weak. Scheer blamed “a small group of radical activists” for the blockades.

“No one has the right to hold our economy hostage,” Scheer said.

The rail stoppage has led to a shortage of propane, especially for rural communities, and on Tuesday farmers warned that they have not been able to get their products to ports.

“Interruptions in rail service amplify the stress that farmers and rural communities are under, creating a huge amount of uncertainty in their day-to-day lives,” said Mary Robinson, the president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

The demonstrations spread as environmentalists joined the campaign, arguing that Canada – a major energy exporter – should do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg has said she supports the protesters.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the passenger operator VIA Rail Canada said it would resume partial services between Quebec City and Ottawa on Thursday.