"The barricades need to come down now," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday, calling the rail blockades "unacceptable and untenable."

But the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs say they will only engage in discussions if the RCMP withdraws from their territory and activities related to the Coastal GasLink pipeline have ceased.

As the stalemate over the Coastal Gaslink pipeline continues, our question this week is:&nbsp;

Who is responsible for the Wet'suwet'en blockade impasse?

Was Trudeau dragging his heels on the blockades, or giving himself room to manoeuvre?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken a lot of grief in recent days from people who think he's been soft on the rail blockades. But an aggressive early response probably wouldn't have gotten him anywhere either.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a news conference with members of his cabinet to discuss the rail blockades and other topics at a news conference in Ottawa Friday, February 21, 2020. From left to right Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety, Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Marc Miller, Indigenous Services Minister, Carolyn Bennett Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Marc Garneau, Transport Minister.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a news conference with members of his cabinet to discuss the rail blockades. From left to right, Bill Blair, minister of public safety; Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister; Trudeau; Marc Miller, Indigenous services minister; Carolyn Bennett, minister of Crown-Indigenous relations; and Marc Garneau, transport minister.

Coastal GasLink sent back to the table with Indigenous leaders

Coastal GasLink must consult further with Indigenous communities along a stretch of its pipeline route at the heart of the Wet'suwet'en conflict, say B.C. officials. 

The Unist’ot’en Healing Center is highlighted in the Yellowhead Institute’s Land Back report as an example of Indigenous land reclamation. 

Unistoten

B.C.'s Environmental Assessment Office says Coastal GasLink must provide more details about its pipeline, such as how construction might affect the nearby Unist'ot'en Healing Centre.  

Trudeau says rail barricades 'need to come down now,' rules out sending in soldiers to restore rail service

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today that while Canadians have been patient with protests that have blocked rail traffic in parts of the country, the situation is "unacceptable and untenable" and the barricades must come down but the army would not be used to make that happen.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a news conference to discuss the current rail blockades and other topics in Ottawa Friday, February 7, 2020 in Ottawa. 

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'Canadians have been patient, our government has been patient, but it has been two weeks and the barricades need to come down now,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Friday as he addressed the issue of protests that have shut down rail traffic across Canada.

'It's none of their business': The Wet'suwet'en people who want the protesters to stop

The Wet'suwet'en Nation is divided over whether to support a new natural gas pipeline through its territory.

Edward Tom, Marion Tiljoe Shepherd, and Robert Skin are part of the Wet'suwet'en Nation and support the Coastal Gas Link pipeline.

Wet'suwet'en pipeline supports

From left to right, Edward Tom, Marion Tiljoe Shepherd, and Robert Skin are part of the Wet'suwet'en Nation and support the Coastal Gas Link pipeline.

Send in the army? Why one expert says that would be a 'ludicrous' response to rail blockades

Over seven years ago, two books written by retired lieutenant-colonel Douglas Bland offered some sobering warnings about the future of the Crown-Indigenous relationship — warnings that seem eerily prescient after the events of the past two weeks.

Supporters of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs perform a round dance at a blockade at a CN Rail line just west of Edmonton, Alta, February 19, 2020.

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Protesters look at signatures written on the blade of a snowplow parked adjacent to the closed rail line near Belleville, Ont., in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, on Feb. 21, 2020, as they stand in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs opposed to the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern British Columbia.

Who is responsible for the Wet'suwet'en blockade impasse?

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