Truckers blocking the U.S.-Canadian border in protest of COVID-19 mandates are causing "real harm," by disrupting supply chains, endangering jobs and "threatening our economy," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Truckers have been protesting in Ottawa for more than two weeks as part of the "Freedom Convoy" calling for an end to the government's COVID-19 mandates and have blocked three border crossings between the U.S. and Canada.
U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this week urged Trudeau to use federal powers to end the blockade as the demonstration is reportedly resulting in $1 billion in daily losses.
"It's over a billion dollars a day [in goods and services] that goes across the Canadian border," said Arthur Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. "It doesn't take long to get into the tens of billions or hundreds of billions of dollars when you have a disruption like that.
"For some of these car companies, that's the total value. So you're talking about losing more money than General Motors is worth in a matter of months?"
Officials in Ontario on Friday declared a state of emergency in response to the protests. Earlier this week, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson did the same.
Trudeau in tweets Friday said government officials are prepared to help local authorities break up the protests.
"I also spoke with @DrewDilkens, the Mayor of Windsor, about the illegal blockade of the Ambassador Bridge. We're committed to helping the Mayor and the province get the situation under control," he said.
Trudeau also stressed the importance of lawmakers publicly opposing the protests.
"Finally, I briefed the leaders of the opposition parties on the current situation and the latest developments. I stressed how important it is for all Members of Parliament, from every party, to denounce these illegal acts — and to call for an end to these blockades,” Trudeau said.
"They're harming the communities they're taking place in — and they're hurting jobs, businesses, and our country's economy,” he added.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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