Canada's new public safety minister isn't saying much about the local border dispute yet.
The Standard-Freeholder requested an interview with the new minister, Vic Toews, on Tuesday, but the request was turned down by his office.
A ministry spokesperson said that Toews, the former Treasury Board President, is still in the process of making the transition to his new office, and he wouldn't be available to speak to the media just yet.
During a recent cabinet shuffle on Parliament Hill, Toews replaced Peter Van Loan as minister of public safety, the cabinet posting which has responsibility for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
The cabinet switch created a new measure of hope for Akwesasne Grand Chief Mike Mitchell that the federal government may decide to take more of a hands-on approach in the impasse over the arming of border guards.
During his time as minister, Van Loan maintained the border guard arming initiative was an operational issue, and as such, he refused to get personally involved despite repeated calls from Mitchell and others to do just that.
On Monday, city council passed a motion calling on Toews to become "directly involved" in resolving the border issue.
The dispute over the arming of border guards -- a national policy initiative -- has been ongoing since the summer.