Anti-pipeline blockade in Mohawk community still active after agreement reached

A railway blockade in a Mohawk community south of Montreal is still in place after an agreement on land rights was reached by government ministers and Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs according to Global News.

The blockade will reportedly stay in place in Kahnawake until details of the agreement are learned by the community. The agreement still needs to be approved by the Wet’suwet’en people.

The secretary of Kahnawake, Kenneth Deer noted that there will be a meeting taking place on Monday night and residents have been asked to join in the discussion.

“It is a big decision whether or not to dismantle a barricade,” said Deer on Sunday. “They want to make sure they have all the details of the deal before making this decision.”

The arrangement took three days of negotiations though the draft accord details weren’t disclosed.

Federal and British Columbia governments and the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs released a joint statement saying that an agreement concerning pipeline construction was not reached.

The $6.6 billion Coastal GasLink pipeline project has caused protests to spread throughout the country. Commuter and freight trains have been halted as a result of the anti-pipeline protests.

The blockade in the Mohawk community of Kahnawake has been present for over three weeks. It started on Feb. 10 and has blocked a train line that brings passengers to and from Montreal.

Mohawk activists noted that they will stay at the blockade for as long as it takes to fight for their rights and their land.