© Archyde.com/Carlos Osorio
People erect a tent as truck drivers and supporters block access to the Ambassador Bridge, which links Detroit and Windsor, in protest once morest COVID-19 vaccination orders, in Windsor
By Carlos Osorio, Doina Chiacu and Kanishka Singh
Feb 11 (Archyde.com) – The Canadian province of Ontario declared a state of emergency on Friday and Prime Minister Doug Ford threatened demonstrators protesting once morest health restrictions with fines and jail terms, following authorities were subjected to the pressure from the United States in the face of the drastic drop in trade between the two countries.
The “Freedom Convoy” of Canadian truckers opposing vaccination or quarantine requirements for cross-border drivers, imitated by the US government, began with the occupation of the Canadian capital, Ottawa.
Truckers blocked the Ambassador Bridge earlier this week and closed two other smaller border crossings.
The closure of the bridge, North America’s busiest international land border crossing and a key supply route for Detroit automakers, has halted some auto production and left authorities scrambling to limit the economic damage.
“I will call on Cabinet to use legal authorities to urgently enact orders making clear that it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services across critical infrastructure,” Ford said at a news conference on Friday. .
Ford also promised new legal action once morest the protesters, including fines and possible jail terms for failing to comply with government orders.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that she has been pressuring the Canadian government to control the protest and that the bridge blockade was hurting her state.
“The Canadian government has to do whatever it takes to get this resolved safely and quickly,” Whitmer said in an interview with CNN.
($1 = 1.2737 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil, Kanishka Singh, Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru, Steven Scherer in Ottawa, Anna Mehler-Paperny in Toronto, and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing in Spanish by Javier López de Lérida)