page_title: Timeline of the 2020 Canadian pipeline and railway protests
section_title: March
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of the 2020 Canadian pipeline and railway protests / March
caption_attribution_description: English: Image of banner created by participants of a Wet'suwet'en Solidarity event at Vari Hall, March 11, 2020.
context_page_description: The following is a timeline of the 2020 Canadian pipeline and railway protests which originated with the opposition by the hereditary chiefs of the Wetʼsuwetʼen people in British Columbia, Canada to the Coastal GasLink Pipeline project.
context_section_description: March 1 - After extending talks to three days, an agreement on land rights is reached, in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). It is to be presented to the Wetʼsuwetʼen Nation for ratification.
  March 2 - RCMP patrols resume and CGL construction work resumes.
  March 2 - A CNR rail bridge in Pointe-St-Charles, Quebec is blocked for several hours by protesters, who leave peacefully.
  March 3 - Via Rail resumes service on their Toronto–Montreal and Toronto–Ottawa lines.
  March 3 - CNR recalls the 450 workers it had temporarily laid off on February 18.
  March 3 - A meeting is held at the Centennial Hall in Witset among the Laksilyu (Small Frog Clan), to discuss the tentative agreement reached between the hereditary chiefs and the representatives of the Canadian government. The meeting's attendees agree to the proposal on the spot.
  March 4 - University students at several universities across Canada walkout and hold protests in support of the Wet’suwet’en.
  March 4 - The Canadian, Via Rail's Toronto-Vancouver train, resumes partial service, as Via announces it is recalling most of the 1,000 employees "affected by temporary suspensions" starting on February 19.
  March 5 - The Mohawks of Kahnawake and the Listiguj First Nation dismantle their rail blockades in Quebec.
  March 5 - Five indigenous youth from the protest at the B.C. Legislature (which had begun February 11) are arrested, and the protest is dismantled.
  March 6 - The BC Civil Liberties Association and the Wet’suwet’en release a letter written by BC Minister Farnworth authorizing a redeployment of RCMP resources to support the injunction enforcement. In the BCCLA's opinion, the letter contradicts his later statement that the government does not direct the RCMP's activities.
  March 7 - Via Rail service has resumed on most routes, after disruption to more than 1,070 trips and roughly 165,000 passengers, according to Via Rail. Via Rail subsequently suspends The Canadian and Ocean services and reduces the frequency on the Winnipeg-Churchill route due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some time after the reinstatement announcement is made.
  March 8 - The Tsayu (Beaver Clan) hold a meeting at the Centennial Hall in Witset to discuss the tentative agreement reached on March 1.
  March 10 - Speaking about the blockade on Highway 6 near Six Nations of the Grand River (begun February 24), Haldimand—Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett calls on anyone who can help to "tear down this blockade", citing the fact that businesses in the area are suffering.
  March 13 - Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux releases a report stating that the protests would have very little impact on economic growth, estimating that the impact would amount to a 0.01% fall in GDP, which he characterized as "a blip", and saying earlier warnings of shortages and economic downturn by corporations was "overblown".
  March 17 - The planned Wetʼsuwetʼen all-clans meeting is postponed indefinitely amid a variety of concerns, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a death in the community (unrelated to COVID-19).
  March 19 - The blockade on Highway 6 near Six Nations of the Grand River is removed after protesters and Six Nations chief Mark Hill come together and decide to leave the road and move back to Douglas Creek estates, known in the Mohawk language as Kanonhstaton "the protected place", a site which had been a focal point for the long-standing Grand River land dispute. In a statement issued by the protesters, they say their departure is done "as a sign of good faith".
  March 20 -  The OPP West Region says they are working with the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) to remove concrete barriers they had set up around the protest.
  March 21 - The OPP West Region tweets that Highway 6 is expected to re-open over the (March 21-22) weekend.
  March 21 - Pipeline opponents on social media launch a letter-writing campaign urging Coastal GasLink to suspend construction on Wetʼsuwetʼen territory, citing the heightened risk posed to the inhabitants of the territory by transient workers continuing operations amidst the COVID-19 
caption: Banner created by participants of a Wet'suwet'en Solidarity event at Vari Hall, York University in Toronto, March 11, 2020
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