Hastings-Lennox and Addington MP Derek Sloan is pleased the federal government is reaching out to Indigenous leaders to try to resolve the rail blockade in Tyendinaga Township and others supporting First Nation hereditary chiefs in British Columbia opposed to the construction of a natural gas pipeline.
 
He hopes the discussions, which included a visit by Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller to the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory for a lengthy meeting last Saturday, will help reach an agreement to end the protests.
 
However, Sloan said the Liberals should have become more involved when the blockades in Tyendinaga and other locations in Canada began earlier this month.

The MP added he understands the OPP wants a peaceful resolution to the situation on Wyman Road, but recognizes pressure is growing for a court injunction to be enforced.

Meanwhile, business groups are calling on the federal government
to take steps to immediately restore rail service, which is being disrupted by anti-pipeline blockades.
 
The Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Dennis Darby, said the situation is ``beyond serious.''

The group estimates some $425 million worth of goods are becoming stranded every day the blockade continues.

Darby said that for every day of disrupted operation, it will take three to four days to make up for the lost time.

Maple Leaf Foods president Curtis Frank said Canada exports 60 per cent of its pork products, and he urged the government to work with urgency to resolve the blockade.