Ford and Toyota on Wednesday said they were suspending certain production as protesters authorized anti-coronavirus to block the crossing of the United States-Canada border, prompting warnings from Washington and Ottawa on economic damage.
Many western countries tired of the epidemic will soon mark a two-year ban as copycat protests spread to Australia, New Zealand and France, amid a decrease in the number of cases of Omicron being heavily infected elsewhere.
Firefighters have been closing down the capital Ottawa since late January and since Monday night, truck drivers have closed Canadian traffic jams at the Ambassador Bridge, a route that provides car manufacturers and agricultural products in Detroit.
Some carmakers are now affected by the disruption near Detroit, which is a historic site in the US automotive industry. But there were also other factors, such as bad weather and a shortage of semiconductor chips.
Toyota, America’s leading retailer, said it was not expected to produce cars in its Ontario area for a week.
Production has been suspended from the Ford engine industry and production of Chrysler Stellantis has disrupted its production.
Some border crossings in Alberta province have been closed on both sides since late Tuesday.
More than two-thirds of the $ 650 billion ($ 511bn) of goods sold annually between Canada and the US are transported by road.
The Ottawa city-based “Freedom Convoy” was started by protesters protesting against the vaccine or isolation of cross-border truck drivers and was demonstrated in the US. Protesters in Canada are now voicing complaints about carbon tax and other laws.
‘Possible disruption‘
“I think it’s important for everyone in Canada and the United States to understand what the impact of this ban is – the potential impact – on workers, the supply chain, and that is where we are most focused,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. said Wednesday.
“We are also looking at tracking potential disruptions in agricultural trade in the US from Michigan to Canada.”
Washington is working with authorities across the border to repatriate vehicles to the Blue Water Bridge, which connects Port Huron in Michigan with Sarnia in Ontario, amid concerns of possible violent protests, Paki told reporters.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem has called for an immediate decision.
“If there is going to be a long-term ban on key access points in Canada it could start to have a measurable impact on economic activity,” he said.
“We already have a global network of goods. We don’t need this. ”
The protests also disrupted operations and “must end before any further damage can be done,” Canadian Emergency Services Minister Bill Blair told reporters.
Ford has suspended engine production in Windsor while its Oakville factory near Toronto operated a reduced program, as it warned the closure of Ambassador Bridge “could have a devastating effect on all car manufacturers in the US and Canada”.
Chrysler producer Stellantis also faced a shortage of parts at his assembly site in Windsor, Ontario, where shifts were due to end Tuesday morning, but he managed to resume production on Wednesday.
Protesters say they are peaceful, but some Ottawa residents say they have been attacked and tortured. In Toronto, the roads were closed.
“We continue to recognize that science and public health laws and regulations are the best way [to end] this epidemic, it is the way we will go beyond,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The issue has caused a great deal of division between the Liberian ruling party and the opposition Conservatives, most of which have openly expressed support for the Ottawa protesters and accused Trudeau of using the issue of power for political purposes.
In the US, prosecutors in Missouri and Texas will investigate crowdfunding service GoFundMe over its decision to launch a driver support campaign after some Republicans promised to investigate.
Residents of Downtown Ottawa blamed the police for allowing the ban, but authorities began trying to recapture Sunday night by seizing thousands of gallons of fuel and removing the oil truck.
Police have called for enforcement – both officials and legal experts in insurance and licensing – proposing intentions to pursue law enforcement with commercial vehicle licenses.
But as the authorities try to quell protests in one area, they are emerging from the other.
“Even though we have entered Ottawa, we have seen an illegal blockade from Windsor,” said Community Safety Minister Marco Mendicino.
