February 20, 2020 8:25 AMOTTAWA: Canada’s passenger rail company on Wednesday said blockades by demonstrators had forced it to temporarily lay off 1,000 employees, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to solve a two-week protest.
“This general interruption is an unprecedented situation in our history,” said Cynthia Garneau, president and chief executive officer of VIA Rail.The dispute spread on Wednesday when a group of around 20 people blocked a Canadian National Railway Co rail line near Edmonton, the capital of the western province of Alberta.
“This government is working extremely hard to resolve this situation. We know people are facing shortages, they’re facing disruptions, they’re facing layoffs – that’s unacceptable,” he told reporters in Ottawa before the VIA Rail announcement. Some aboriginal bands claim the right to veto projects on their territory, a stance rejected by a Canadian court earlier this month.