The comparison, which was made by Trudeau to mining executives in Toronto, said that the parallels are worth recognizing as the national consensus on the value of free trade led to the landmark NAFTA trade deal that exists today.

Trudeau, who was overseas last week trying to drum up support for Canada's bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, spent hours Monday holed up with some of his cabinet ministers trying to figure out a way to end the blockades quickly and peacefully.