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10:10 a.m. RCMP have met protesters demands, Ottawa says

This just in from the Canadian Press:

OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the RCMP in British Columbia have met conditions set by traditional leaders of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation opposing a pipeline project on their territory.

He says he believes barricades set up in solidarity with that nation should come down.

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.

10 a.m. Police may dismantle St-Lambert blockade: Legault

In Quebec City, Premier François Legault just told reporters that Longueuil police will dismantle the St-Lambert blockade if CN manages to get an injunction.

The premier indicated that the St-Lambert blockade is not the work of Indigenous protesters and is not on Indigenous land.

He said the situation is different in Kahnawake, where the blockade is occurring on Indigenous land and the Kahnawake Peacekeepers are responsible for policing.

The St-Lambert blockade, which went up on Wednesday, is blocking the Mont-St-Hilaire commuter line as well as Via Rail trains. “We are blocking this rail line in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en, whose territory has been invaded by the RCMP,” Jessica Robert, one of the protesters, said in an emailed statement. “We will continue to block the tracks until the RCMP leaves Wet’suwet’en territory.”

Colleague Philip Authier is covering the premier.

9:50 a.m. Grand Chief denounces ‘stubbornness’

Here’s what Kahnawake Grand Chief Joe Norton had to say on Tuesday:

9:40 a.m. Protests reach London

We are approaching hour four of our sit in at @KKR_Co London, UK office - we stand in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en nation and stand against @CoastalGasLink and @JustinTrudeau colonial invasion #WetsuwetenStrong #landback pic.twitter.com/VbvWvlraXD — Wet'suwet'en Solidarity UK (@wet_suwet_en_UK) February 20, 2020

9:30 a.m.

The blockades are having a devastating effect on Quebec businesses, industry groups say. They’re struggling to find alternative ways to receive supplies and ship goods. Some are laying off workers.

9:15 a.m. Commuters out of luck

Two Montreal commuter lines (Candiac and Mont-St-Hilaire) are shut down due to blockades.

This morning, Exo, the provincial agency that operates commuter trains, said it will not provide buses to replace the Mont-St-Hilaire trains. In contrast, buses are available for users of the Candiac line.

[ANNULATION DE SERVICE]⚠️ Les départs du service de train sur la ligne exo3 Mont-Saint-Hilaire sont annulés en raison de manifestations sur les voies. Pour plus de détails : https://t.co/ez8AwbKmLe — exo3 Mont-Saint-Hilaire (@exo3_SH) February 19, 2020

1/2 [INTERRUPTION DE SERVICE]⚠️Le service sur la ligne exo4 Candiac demeure interrompu pour une durée indéterminée. Un service d'autobus assure le lien entre le terminus Mansfield au centre-ville de Montréal et les gares Candiac, Delson, Saint-Constant et Sainte-Catherine. — exo4 Candiac (@exo4_CA) February 20, 2020

9 a.m. Losing patience

The simmering rail crisis is on the agenda in Quebec City today.

Transport Minister François Bonnardel says the Quebec government is losing patience. Speaking to reporters a few minutes ago, he also suggested Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not take the issue seriously enough last week.

Premier François Legault, who says he’s not happy with how Trudeau is handling the situation, will be scrumming in Quebec City this morning just before 10 a.m. He has previously raised the spectre of police breaking up blockades.

He’ll be asked about a Parti Québécois demand for an emergency debate, colleague Philip Authier reports. Even if that doesn’t happen, the issue is expected to come up during Question Period in the National Assembly today. Follow it live (starting at 10 a.m.) here.

This is happening. @partiquebecois today will call for an emergency debate in the #assnat over blockade crisis. — Philip Authier (@PhilipAuthier) February 20, 2020