TYENDINAGA MOHAWK TERRITORY, Ont. — Members of the Mohawk First Nation are to meet Saturday with Federal Indigenous Services Minister
"The CN Rail stoppage is in its 9th day since Mohawks demanded that no trains cross their Territory at Tyendinaga until the RCMP leave Wet'suwet'en Territory, where the government is using the militarized police force to escort Coastal Gas Link employees who are building a new fracked gas pipeline," a Mohawk news release said Friday.
"Federal Indigenous Services Minister
"Tomorrow, he will be arriving at the Wyman Rd CN Rail crossing at
Miller said the meeting stems from an invitation he made to some Mohawk leaders on Wednesday night in regards to the situation at Tyendinaga.
"I agreed to a meeting this Saturday at a location of their choosing in Tyendinaga," Miller said on Twitter. "I can confirm that they have agreed to it and that I will be present."
Miller said he reached out to Mohawk leaders Kanenhariyo,
Meanwhile, police kept a watchful eye on a handful of protesters blocking a major stretch of railway in eastern
The blockade in the heart of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory near
The
"The proper use of police discretion is a valid, appropriate approach to de-escalating situations such as this," spokesman
A number of court injunctions have been handed down in a bid to remove the protesters, but most have been ignored. When one such document was delivered to the
About a dozen protesters milled around the rail line on Friday afternoon after unfurling colourful banners bearing Indigenous symbols. Some community members stopped by to survey the scene or offer support, with one family of four making repeated trips to bring bread, hummus and other food to the demonstrators.
At one point, two police officers walked over to the barricade and held a brief conversation with the protesters.
A growing number of business leaders and industry groups called for government or police intervention in the shutdowns, and federal Conservative Leader
"Law enforcement should enforce the law," he said. "We have court orders, we have court injunctions. They need to be respected."
But Transport Minister
"Also remember that they have to take into account some history here when we're talking about what happened at Ipperwash," he said, referring to a violent 1995 standoff that resulted in the death of Indigenous activist
Prime Minister
"We are not the kind of country where politicians tell police what to do in operational matters," Trudeau said at a press conference in
The OPP came in for a significant share of blame for the Ipperwash standoff, according to the results of a public inquiry into the matter. Commissioner
The framework currently in place was developed as a direct result of George's death and explicitly calls for a measured response that takes Indigenous perspectives into account.
"It is the role of the OPP and all of its employees to make every effort prior to a critical incident to understand the issues and to protect the rights of all involved parties throughout the cycle of conflict," the framework reads.
Dickson said that framework will continue to inform the OPP's handling of the eastern
"The OPP respects the right of everyone to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, but we also recognize the rights of the general public, local residents and businesses to a safe environment," he said.
— With files from
This report by
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