Since Monday, scores of drivers protesting Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions and venting their rage against liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have bottled up the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, disrupting the auto industry on both sides of the border.
Premier Doug Ford said he will convene the provincial cabinet on Saturday to urgently enact measures that make it “crystal clear” it is illegal to block critical infrastructure.
Separately, the mayor of Windsor asked for an injunction Friday afternoon to try to break up the bridge blockade, as parts shortages caused by the protest forced General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Honda to close auto plants or cancel shifts.
The government reaction to the protests has also been marked by disagreements over who’s in charge.
Also, the leadership of the opposition Conservative Party on the federal level has openly supported the truckers, apparently happy to make this Trudeau’s problem.
The protests have spread outside Canada as well.
The agency said the protests could begin in Southern California as early as this weekend and spread to Washington around the State of the Union address in March.
Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter in Canada than in the U.S., but Canadians have largely supported them.