OFFICIALS from the United States have encouraged Canada’s government to use its federal authority to remove a trucker blockade protesting Covid restrictions.
President Joe Biden is routinely briefed on the protests that have erupted in Ottawa and at a border crossing that accounts for a fifth of all US-Canada trade.
Automobile manufacturers and local governments are seeking an injunction to end the Ambassador Bridge roadblock.
Protesters in Ontario have been denied access to internet donations by an Ontario court.
According to CNN, US Secretaries of Homeland Security and Transportation met with their Canadian counterparts yesterday, “urging them to use federal powers to resolve this situation at our joint border and offering the full support of our Homeland Security and Transportation departments”.
“We are principally focused on resolving the blockage at the Ambassador Bridge as well as other ports of entry,” the official added.
The bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, Michigan, is still blocked to most traffic, however surrounding ports and border crossings are open.
It is the world’s largest international suspension bridge, which has been partially closed for four days.
Yesterday evening, Windsor police tweeted that they were receiving assistance from other police jurisdictions “for the purpose of helping support a peaceful resolution”,
“If the protesters don’t leave, there will have to be a path forward. If that means physically removing them, that means physically removing them, and we’re prepared to do that, “Drew Dilkens, the mayor of Windsor, told CNN.
“While it may be gratifying for someone to see the forced removal of the demonstrators, such action may inflame the situation and certainly cause more folks to come here and add to the protest, and we don’t want to risk additional conflict,” he continued.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has also urged authorities to intervene, saying: “Paychecks and production lines are being impacted. That’s not acceptable
