The situation is tense in Canada, where anti-health measures protesters have been blocking the streets of the capital Ottawa for almost two weeks. “Blockades, illegal demonstrations are unacceptable” and have “a negative impact for our businesses, our manufacturers”, lamented, on Wednesday, February 9, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in front of MPs. “We must do everything to put an end to it”, hammered the head of government, however offering no way out of the political crisis while on the streets of Ottawa, the tension has risen a notch.
For the first time, the police sent a message by communiqué to the protesters, informing them that they could now be arrested. As of Tuesday, police had reported twenty-three arrests since the movement began. “We warn you that anyone who blocks the streets or helps others block them may be prosecuted” and “is likely to be arrested”, warned the police, stating that vehicles could also be seized.
Bridge blocked at US border
In addition to the streets of the federal capital Ottawa, truck drivers and their supporters want to hit the economy by paralyzing some essential trade routes. The blocking, since Monday, of the Ambassador Bridge on the border with the United States worries authorities and economic circles, because if Ottawa is a strong symbol, it is not an economic capital.
This suspension bridge, which connects Ontario to Detroit, in the United States, is crucial for the automotive industry but also for American hospitals that employ many Canadian nurses. “The blockage endangers supply chains, the automotive industry, because this bridge is a key channel”, said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
Nearly 2.5 million trucks use the Ambassador Bridge each year. More than 25% of the goods exported between the United States and Canada pass through it. According to the Government of Canada, nearly 5,000 workers at factories in Windsor, a Canadian city nestled near Detroit, have been sent home due to “criminal actions” demonstrator.
“When this type of blockade is a brake on economic growth, the production of goods… the federal government must intervene”, said Gilles Levasseur, professor of economics at the University of Ottawa. “At the moment, we don’t see the political will to go in this direction to really deal with the blockade”, he adds.
“Canada’s border gridlock threatens fragile supply chains that are already under pressure due to pandemic-related shortages and delays”, condemned to AFP Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Association of Vehicle Manufacturers, demanding an end to the protests.
“Abandonment of all restrictions”
On the streets of Ottawa, some 400 trucks were still parked on Parliament Hill and under the offices of Justin Trudeau, with no intention of leaving. Some protesters have put out barbecues in the middle of the street, others are playing football. Gas cans, which are used to refuel trucks continuously, are arranged here and there. And a federal police helicopter is flying over the scene, an AFP reporter found.
Originally named “freedom convoy”, this Canadian movement was originally intended to protest the decision to require truckers to be vaccinated to cross the border with the United States. But it quickly turned into a movement against health measures as a whole and against the government. Since then, he has made a splash abroad: Canadian protesters have become the new heroes of conservatives and opponents of restrictions, who are calling for an increase in mobilization, from New York to New Zealand, via France.