Three men have been arrested and charged in connection with an armed protest that blocked an important western Quebec highway for almost two days earlier this month.

Quebec provincial police arrested the alleged protest leader Guillaume Carle and two other men Thursday after investigating the circumstances surrounding their blockade on Highway 117 on March 12 and 13.

The protest blocked the main route between the Laurentians and the Abitibi region on March 12 and 13.
(CBC)

The men appeared in court and were charged with mischief and obstruction of justice, said Quebec provincial police spokeswoman Manon Gaignard.

"Mr. Carle stayed in jail because he refused to sign his release," she said, adding that he will be back in court on Monday in Maniwaki.

Carle, head of a group called the Confederation of Aboriginal People of Canada, served as the spokesman for about 50 demonstrators with rifles who set up barricades in La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve, completely blocking the main route between the Laurentians and the Abitibi region for most of March 12.

At the time, Carle said they were protesting logging regulations and the living conditions of aboriginals living off-reserve in the park.

The protesters opened one lane late that afternoon and removed the barricades on the afternoon of March 13 in anticipation of a meeting with the Quebec government.

Local aboriginal leaders earlier denounced the protest and criticized authorities for being too lenient with the demonstrators.