Pallister opposes '2-tier law' but feels frustration of Wet'suwet'en protesters

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallistersays the federal government needs a system that better listens to the frustrations of protesters like the ones who blocked arail line near Winnipeg Wednesday in support ofWet'suwet'en a blockade the protesters say has now been removed.

"What's happening is that people are very frustrated because they're not understanding or feeling heard through a process that needs to give balance to the environmental impacts of resource applications in our country," he said.

"They're not separate from each other."

If there was a process in which people felt their concerns were being respected and understood, they would be lesswilling to flout the law, Pallister told reporters on Thursday.

About a dozen protesters lit a fire and set up a blockadeWednesday morning at a CN rail lineabout seven kilometres west of Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway.

They saidthey planned to stayuntil the RCMP leavethe traditional territory of the Wet'suwet'en people in British Columbia, where on the weekend,policearrested more than 20 peopleblocking Coastal GasLink workers from accessing the traditional territory.

RCMPbeganenforcingacourt order against those blocking construction on thepipeline last week, sparking solidarity protests across the country.

CN applied for injunction: Pallister

Pallistersaid Wednesday that Manitoba's Justice Department would seek an injunction to end the blockade near Winnipeg and have it enforced by police.

But on Thursday, he said the provincelearned CN had applied for an injunction and had it approved, making Manitoba's applicationunnecessary.

One of the Manitobablockade's organizers, Harrison Powder, said Thursday the camp has been shut down for now. He believes the injunction was brought to the camp last night, although he was not there at the time.

"We're kind of really shocked at how fast it happened," he said.

Blockades in other provinces have caused the cancellation ofmore than 150 Via Rail passenger trains and forced a similar number of freight trains to sit idle.

Protesters have also shut down streets and bridges during heavy traffic times, frustrating drivers in their efforts to give the issue wider attention.

"This is in nobody's best interests," Pallister said.

"Our resources need to be developed in a responsible and sustainable way. There needs to be a process to deal with that, and right now, thereis a process which is so cumbersome, so onerous that it's just causing incredible frustration for everybody."

Pallister saidhe will continue to callon the federal government to establish "a better process of dealing with important economic and environmental projects when they are being dealt with by our country."

"But we are clearly standing up against two-tier law in our country," he said.

Asked whether he would seek injunctions if blockades are set up anywhere else in the province, Pallistersaid "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Powder said he's unsure about the next steps for the protesters who gathered Wednesday, but added thatpeople should expect to see more solidarity protests in Winnipeg.

"We feel we have a right to be part of this nationwide call-out to support our relatives in B.C.," he said.

"People need to understand that this is happening for a reason and that industry and police can't just be going and invading Indigenous territories and forcing pipelines through, when there are Indigenous leaders and community members opposed."

Sit-in continues at minister's office

Meanwhile, activists are continuingasit-in at thefederal northern affairs minister's office in Winnipeg over the pipeline issue.

They say they want minister Dan Vandal to publicly condemn the actions of the RCMP inWet'suwet'en traditionalterritory, and hope other parliamentarians use their powers to meet the demands of the hereditary chiefs.

Carter Graveline says they've spent about 220 hours at the office, and thata phone conversation with Vandal was "very frustrating."

"It's more like, protecting the land and those that live on the land and protecting our water because the land andthe water can't defend itself so we have to do that," saidBianca Ballantyne.