Quebec government tries to ease growing tension over forestry blockades

MONTREAL — Two Quebec ministers are meeting with First Nations communities amid rising tensions around forestry blockades in the province.

Natural Resources Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina and Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafrenière are meeting with three Atikamekw communities in Quebec’s Mauricie region, roughly 200 kilometres north of Montreal.

Blanchette Vézina says she’s “very concerned” about the situation in the region, where there have been tense standoffs between protesters and forestry workers in recent days.

An Indigenous rights group has organized a series of blockades in recent months that have disrupted operations for some in the forestry industry.

The group is protesting a new bill that would divide public forests into zones designated for conservation, multi-purpose