Canada Anti-Vax Trucker Blockade Is Hitting U.S. Business Hard

As the movement of truckers protesting Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s vaccine mandate continues to blockade major cities and roadways, officials across Canada are considering drastic actions to shut down the protests. The so-called Freedom Convoy, which began in late January in Ottawa, has spread to Toronto and Quebec City, where bands of truck drivers have blocked traffic and curtailed business by parking their rigs in the middle of intersections. The anti-vax protesters have even shut down three major crossings along the U.S.-Canada border, most notably the Ambassador Bridge connecting Ontario to America’s major automotive hubs in Detroit. The bridge, which handles approximately a quarter of the traded materials between the two countries, is arguably the most important crossing along America’s northern border. On Friday afternoon, protesters agreed to open one lane of traffic on the bridge––a concession made hours before the Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz granted an injunction to end the five-day-old blockade. The injunction will take effect at 7 p.m. Friday, giving protesters time to heed warnings from police that they could face arrest if the Ambassador Bridge blockade continues into the night.

This gridlock has brought some industries in the U.S. and Canada to a grinding halt. Ford Motor Company has been forced to temporarily halt production at an Ohio manufacturing plant and employ reduced crews at others. Due to parts shortages, the General Motors plant in Lansing, Michigan, is cutting down on employee shifts, while Toyota temporarily halted production at three of its Ontario factories “for the remainder of this week and then it is TBD,” the company’s spokesman told NBC. A Toyota plant in Kentucky has also been hit due to a shortage of parts imported from Canada, with the car manufacturer announcing that it expects “disruptions through the weekend, and we’ll continue to make adjustments as needed” due to the Ambassador Bridge blockade.  

President Joe Biden and Trudeau spoke by phone on Friday, the White House said, where they agreed the protests were causing “significant direct impacts on citizens’ lives and livelihoods,” with Biden expressing “his concern” for affected American workers. “The prime minister promised quick action in enforcing the law,” the White House readout said. Prior to that call, a White House official said that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have been urging their Canadian counterparts “to use federal powers to resolve this situation at our joint border” while also “offering the full support” of both U.S. departments. “We are principally focused on resolving the blockage at the Ambassador Bridge as well as other ports of entry,” the official added on Thursday.

In Windsor, Ontario, Mayor Drew Dilkens, who requested the court order to end the Ambassador Bridge blockade, has said that protesters “will be removed” if need be. “The economic harm that this occupation is having on international trade is not sustainable, and it must come to an end,” he said, before firing off a warning at any would-be protesters: “To those who are thinking about joining the protest, let me just say this: You are not welcome here.” Due to the state of emergency declared by Ontario’s government, protesters obstructing roadways could be fined up to $100,000, face a year of jail time, have their rigs seized, and/or lose their trucking licenses.

The protesters, many of whom are staying in truck cabins or tent encampments on the road, have sought financial support through the conservative website GiveSendGo after their original crowdfunding source was shut down by GoFundMe. However, the more than $8 million raised on GiveSendGo could be for naught. On Thursday, the Canadian Superior Court of Justice issued an order blocking organizers from accessing the money it has amassed on its donation page after Ontario officials asked the court to cut off the protesters’ funding, according to Global News.

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