A protester reacts as truckers and supporters continue to block the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, to protest demands for a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on February 11, 2022.
Carlos Osorio | Reuters
Protesters against pandemic restrictions were still occupying the key Canada-US trade corridor on Friday, hours after the end of the lockdown that disrupted the US auto industry North America in force.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised President Joe Biden to act quickly to end the crisis and earlier on Friday a Canadian judge ordered an end to a four-day blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, the gateway North America’s busiest road border.
That order went into effect at 7pm Eastern Time (0000 GMT) but more than two hours after the deadline, about 200 protesters, including children, surrounded the entrance to the bridge, waving Canadian flags, while others set off firecrackers.
Police, who began gathering in a parking lot a few blocks from the protesters, began handing out leaflets outlining the penalties under Ontario’s emergency order, which went into effect at midnight.
Earlier, Trudeau told reporters that no action was worth discussing.
Companies that have cargo navigation to prevent losses as companies cut production, including Ford.
Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Morawetz on Friday approved a request by auto industry associations and the city government of Windsor in the hope of ending the protests.
Occupy the entrance that leads to bridge on Friday, protesters voiced their defiance and there was little sign of them backing down.
Liz Vallee, a protester from Chatham, Ontario, said: “Canada is supposed to be a free country. “When that freedom is threatened, we must stand up.”
Vallee said she and others will stay until all pandemic duties are lifted.
The “Liberty Convoy” protests, started by Canadian truck drivers protesting against vaccination or quarantine regulations for those driving across the border, are also occupying areas outside buildings. government in the capital city of Ottawa and has blocked two smaller US passageways.
The protests have inspired similar convoys and plans in France, New Zealand, Australia and the United States, where the Department of Homeland Security is working to ensure that the “Freeride Convoy” event ” took place in early March in Washington, DC, “without disrupting trade laws.” read more
US pressure
Adding to previous calls to action by US officials and business leaders, Biden expressed concern about auto plant closures and production slowdowns during a phone call with Trudeau, the White House said. know in a statement.
“The two leaders agreed that the actions of individuals that are hindering travel and commerce between our two countries are having significant direct impacts on people’s lives and livelihoods,” the statement said. father wrote.
“The Prime Minister promised swift action in enforcing the law, and the President thanked him for the steps he and other Canadian authorities are taking to restore clear passage of bridges to the United States.” “, the newspaper added.
Trudeau told reporters he agrees with Biden that the blockades cannot continue. “Everything has been put on the table because this illegal activity has to end and it will end,” Trudeau said.
According to IHS Markit estimates, cross-border trade between the US and Canada in vehicles and core parts will reach $51.5 billion by 2021.
The Biden administration has urged Canada to use federal power to ease the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, a step Trudeau’s government has failed to take. On Friday, Mr. Trudeau said his government was not seriously considering calling in the military over the protests. read more
The leader of Ontario, where police have avoided using force to disperse protesters, sought to put pressure on Friday by threatening a C$100,000 fine and up to a year in prison for non-compliance.
Announcing the penalties as part of the emergency measures, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said they needed to “make it clear that blocking and impeding the movement of goods, people and services along the facility critical infrastructure is illegal and punishable.”
Windsor Police have issued a warning about an arrest, but it is unclear when authorities will begin to issue fines or seek a jail term.
Economic damage
With auto production cuts, Ford, America’s second-largest automaker, said Friday that it has halted work at its assembly plant in Ohio. General Motors and Toyota also announced new production cuts.
Shares of Canadian autopilot maker Magna International (MG.TO) fell 6.4% on Friday after it said it had seen an initial impact from the tree closures. bridge. read more
In addition to losses in the auto sector, the three impeded U.S.-Canada crossroads account for 33 percent of Canada’s trade with the United States, worth $616 million a day, Export Development Canada said.
Closing the bridge could exacerbate new-vehicle supply in the United States and contribute to already rapidly rising new-vehicle prices, IHS Markit said in a report Friday, IHS Markit said in a statement. report on Friday. Even if the lockdown is over, a return to normal will take several weeks as shortages run through the supply chain, IHS Markit said.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, home to nearly a fifth of US car production, told CNN: “The Canadian government has to do whatever it takes to get around this problem safely and quickly. “
(1 dollar = 1.2737 Canadian dollars)
