WINNIPEG, Man. – An angry native group in Manitoba says it will block rail lines June 29 in an attempt to disrupt the economy and bring attention to land claim disputes. Chief Terry Nelson of Roseau River First Nation, contends that CN Rail accesses traditional native land based on a treaty that’s not honoured by Canada.

“If (the rail companies) take a confrontational attitude and start throwing lawsuits around, clearly this could escalate and it will very likely end up in a month-long blockade,” Nelson told the Globe and Mail. “If the chiefs cannot deliver any hope for the first nation people, the people themselves will take action. It is going to get out of control, very clearly.”

CN recently filed a lawsuit against a native group that blocked the rail line between Toronto and Montreal near Deseronto this spring. It later withdrew the lawsuit. The Manitoba blockade is slated for June 29, what’s being dubbed a “National Day of Action” among native leaders. However, most native groups are not condoning blockades and are instead urging natives and non-natives alike to join in peaceful demonstrations.