Shawn Brant was a wanted man after he led a group of camouflage-clad Mohawk protesters in illegally shutting down Canada's busiest highway for 12 hours yesterday, while bringing train traffic to a halt on a crucial rail artery and barricading a road leading to a small eastern Ontario town.
About 40 renegade Tyendinaga Mohawks were expected to dismantle their last blockades by midnight after a national day of action sponsored by the Assembly of First Nations that otherwise unfolded with peaceful demonstrations and minor traffic slowdowns.
Mr. Brant, who is not an elected leader, remained defiant even in the face of an arrest warrant, calling the unprecedented closure of Highway 401 "a good dry run" for future protests by Mohawks from the nearby Bay of Quinte First Nation.
"We wanted them to know that we were capable of doing it and that we certainly held that position of power and authority that if need be we would do it again," he told the National Post. "That stands now as much of a threat as closing the CN main line."
Deseronto, west of Kingston, became the flashpoint on a day when native leaders nationwide sought to peacefully draw attention to festering grievances, including unresolved land claims, endemic poverty, the emotional scars of residential schools and the epidemic of teen suicides.
A 29-kilometre section of Highway 401 linking Canada's two largest cities was closed by the Ontario Provincial Police around 11 p.m. on Thursday -- on the eve of the holiday weekend -- as Mohawk dissidents, warning they were armed, began moving into position.
Traffic was redirected north to Highway 7 between Belleville and Napanee--delaying motorists by up to two hours -- until protesters decided around 9:30 a.m. to disband in a gesture of "goodwill" to travellers. After an inspection by officials from the Ministry of Transportation gave the all-clear, the highway reopened to traffic in both directions at 11 a.m.
"We thought that we could be understanding and empathetic of their situation and I guess at the same time kind of thought that might be reciprocated in the same way towards First Nations issues," said Mr. Brant, 43, the spokesman for a group that has occupied a gravel quarry since March and stood on the CN main line for 30 hours in April.
The protesters also blocked Highway 2 leading south from the 401 to Marysville for almost 24 hours and parked a rusted school bus across the train tracks on Deseronto Road.
VIA Rail cancelled all service yesterday along the corridor connecting Toronto with Montreal and Ottawa, a move affecting 5,000 passengers booked on 24 trains. Meanwhile 25 freight trains -- carrying an estimated $100-million worth of goods -- were parked as Canadian National indefinitely suspended service on its busiest route "until the company has received assurances that the OPP will remove protesters and guarantee such safety."
CN spokesman Mark Hall-man expressed frustration that despite at least two court injunctions, illegal activity continues.
"This is the third such blockade we've had to experience in the same general area in the past 15 months," he said. "It's of significant consequence to the company, a major irritant. It's really a difficult situation that we have people who just refuse to abide by the law."
The centrepiece of AFN activities was in Ottawa, where National Chief Phil Fontaine sought to deliver a message of hope.
"I truly believe in Canada, I really do," he told the crowd. "I know Canadians believe in fairness. I truly believe in my heart Canadians want everyone to have a fair chance in life."
Major marches took place in downtown Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto.
Near Montreal a group of Mohawks from nearby Kahnawake unfurled flags on the Mercier Bridge, which figured in the 1990 Oka crisis, then briefly stopped traffic. In the morning, protesters blocked Highway 30 for 90 minutes on Montreal's South Shore.
There were minor disruptions elsewhere in Ontario, including Pickle Lake in northern Ontario, through the Muskoka town of Bala and on both ends of Alderville in Northumberland County.
Many denounced the civil disobedience in Deseronto.
Don Maracle, elected Chief of the Bay of Quinte First Nation, said the band council endorses negotiation over confrontation.
However, reached by phone as he handed out leaflets in nearby Shannonville, he lamented the fact it takes such extreme action to attract media and public attention to the plight of aboriginals. "As Canada celebrates its 140th birthday, I would ask Canadians to simply and humbly remember where the greatness of Canada came from: The rivers with the teeming fish, the fertile soil, the virgin forests of timber, the great mineral wealth of this country ... it came from the Indians through the treaties," Chief Maracle said. "That is the foundation on which the country was built."
Mr. Brant said the response to his group's actions speaks for itself. "As soon as we pushed the inconvenience button and the economic disruption button, suddenly we were propelled into a position of priority, both within the discussions by the Canadian public and by government itself," he said. "We find that kind of sad."
Ontario Conservative leader John Tory issued a statement condemning the "lawless activities that could interfere with the rights of others and could hurt our economy."
OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino cautioned the public to expect inconvenience and remain patient. He said scofflaws would eventually be held accountable, but suggested police would not move in immediately for fear of provoking a crisis on par with Oka, Ipperwash or Caledonia.
Mr. Brant said he intended to turn himself into police to face new mischief charges once the barricades came down.
"I'd like to spend a day with my family, with my kids and my wife," he said. "I'd like to do that before this happens because I'm almost assured not to get bail so I'll be sitting for a while."