The US government on Thursday urged the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to use its federal powers to end a blockade of trucks by Canadians protesting coronavirus pandemic restrictions, as the mobilization forced auto plants on both sides of the border to suspend or reduce their production.
For the fourth consecutive day, a large number of truckers participating in the so-called Freedom Caravan blocked the passage on the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, Michigan, interrupting the flow of auto parts and other products between the two countries.
The White House said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have spoken with their Canadian counterparts and asked them to help resolve the conflict.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said RCMP reinforcements will be sent to Windsor, Ottawa and Coutts, Alberta, where there are also border blockades.
A federal government official said neither option is ruled out. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Trudeau met with members of the opposition virtually on Thursday and also said he had a conversation with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens. He assured that the blockades are hurting workers and economies on both sides of the border.
Meanwhile, Ontario’s Conservative Premier Doug Ford has moved to cut funding for the protests by successfully asking a court to freeze millions of dollars in donations to the caravan made through the GiveSendGo website. Ford has referred to the demonstrations as an occupation.
Previously, Canadian authorities had forced GoFundMe to cut off funding after organizers used the portal to raise some C$10 million ($7.8 million). GoFundMe determined that the fundraiser violated the site’s terms of service due to illegal activity.
Facing mounting political and economic pressure, the mayor of Windsor announced that the city will seek an injunction to end the protest.
“The economic damage is not sustainable and must end,” Dilkens said.
Meanwhile, the United States braced for the possibility of similar protests, while authorities in Paris and Belgium banned roadblocks to prevent a repeat of the situation there.
The United States Department of Homeland Security said in a statement sent to local and state police that it has received reports that some truckers plan “the possibility of blocking highways in major cities” in the country a protest against vaccine mandates and other topics.
According to the agency, the caravan could start in Southern California as early as this weekend, with the possibility of affecting traffic in areas where activities related to the Super Bowl will take place, and reach Washington in March. in time for the annual State of the Union address, according to a copy of Tuesday’s bulletin seen by The Associated Press.
The White House said the agency will deploy “additional staff” for the Super Bowl as a precautionary measure.
Bans on roadblocks in Europe and the threat of prison time and heavy fines were implemented in part due to messages circulating online from groups urging drivers to gather in Paris and Brussels in the coming days. .
The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest border crossing between the United States and Canada, through which 25% of all trade between the two countries circulates, and the effects of the blockade were not long in reverberating in the area.
Ford said its engine plant in Windsor, Ontario, reopened Thursday after closing the day before due to a lack of parts. However, the company’s factory and assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, near Toronto, are operating at reduced capacity, the automaker said.