Ambassador Bridge blockade leaves local autoworkers uneasy

So far, CAMI and Toyota Woodstock workers haven't lost work, but worry it could happen

Andrew Lupton · CBC News · Posted: Feb 11, 2022 

Toyota Manufacturing Canada said their production plants in Ontario, including this one in Woodstock, have been affected by the blockage of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. The company said they do not expect any impact on employment at this time. 

(Andrew Lupton/CBC)


The head of an auto industry group representing Toyota's three Ontario manufacturing plants says protesters blocking the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor are hurting an industry still working to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is ironic that the so-called 'freedom convoy' is denying the very freedoms they espouse by preventing businesses from operating, workers from doing their jobs, and individual citizens from going about their day-to-day business," said David Adams, president of the Global Autoworkers of Canada.

VIDEO Auto groups, City of Windsor seek injunction to end Ambassador Bridge blockade of Ontario-U.S. traffic

Yesterday the blockade of the Windsor-Detroit border crossing entered its fourth day. The blockade is a key reason why production lines at Toyota's three Ontario plants — two in Cambridge, one in Woodstock — were idle this week.

Adams said vehicle manufacturing between the United States and Canada is highly integrated and relies on a sophisticated just-in-time delivery process for parts, which typically are not stored in large quantities at the plants.

"If they can't get parts, it typically does shut down the production lines," said Adams. "Automakers in Canada and the U.S. rely on one another," he said.

In a statement, Toyota said the company is dealing with parts shortages at all three plants. However, the company says for now, those shortages won't result in any staff reductions, even with vehicle production on hold.
Situation 'stressful' for auto workers

Michael Aspen has worked at the Toyota plant in Woodstock, Ont., for two years. He said any shutdown of production is stressful for workers. 

(Andrew Lupton/CBC)

The situation was still a cause for concern for workers on a break at the Woodstock plant on Thursday.

Michael Aspen has worked at the plant for two years.

"I think all of us want to go back to normal work, so I hope this gets figured out soon," he said. "It's definitely stressful."

Mike VanBoekel is the plant chair of the Unifor local that represents 1,700 workers at CAMI in Ingersoll, Ont. At the GM plant, CAMI is in the process of transitioning to electric vehicle production. For now, production hasn't been disrupted, but that can change suddenly.

"[The protests] could affect us really quickly," said VanBoekel. "If we run out of parts, they'll shut us down and if there's no work, you get sent home. But hopefully, it gets resolved very quickly."

The CAMI plant is already scheduled to stop production in the last week of April to re-tool for electric vehicle production, a process that could take seven months. Until that happens, VanBoekel said it's important for workers that production lines continue to operate to avoid shutdowns or layoffs.

"Our guys shouldn't be out of work just because these people are holding up traffic on the bridge," he said. "At our plant, you either get vaccinated, or you stay home without pay."

Some industry groups and the City of Windsor were seeking a court injunction on Thursday to end the blockade at the bridge.

Toyota's manufacturing plant in Woodstock, Ont., employs about 8,500 people. (Andrew Lupton/CBC )

That's good news to Adams, who says governments should step in if a solution can't be found in the courts.

"[The protesters] point has been made," said Adams. "Governments at all levels need to ensure that the blockade is now dispersed."

Canadian Ethnic media provides added perspectives on “Freedom Convoy”

Over the last week, from Feb 3. to 10, various ethnic media outlets offered a wider range of perspectives on three hot-button issues that have dominated mainstream headlines.

From the so-called Freedom Convoy, to Erin O’Toole’s ousting as leader of the Conservative Party, to the Black History Month, ethnic media provided coverage that went beyond the usual suspects interviewed by the mainstream.

By elevating different cultural perspectives, opinions and narratives, ethnic media was able to provide coverage that offers a fuller understanding of the issues at play. NCM has worked with MIREMS to bring readers these added perspectives.

The top story in both the mainstream and the ethnic media was the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protesting against vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions in Ottawa and provincial capitals as well as land border crossings to the U.S. The Romanian paper Faptu Divers, for example, supported the convoy in multiple articles and likened Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu for curtailing people’s freedoms, while the Polish paper Goniec reported that that community provided food for the protesters. The Polish Gazeta, on the other hand, focused on the harassment, racism and misbehaviour of the protesters.

Both the Russian Vancouverovka and Russian Week highlighted comments by CBC host Nil Köksal suggesting that Russian actors are behind the protests because of Canada’s support for Ukraine.

Multiple features on OMNI TV News Filipino focused on the impact the protests had on members of the Filipino community, who reported being afraid to leave their homes because of the harassment from protesters.

A feature on OMNI TV Italian focused on the racist messaging at the protests. G98.7 FM online radio featured responses from the Black parliamentary caucus to the public display of hate symbols, including the Confederate flag as a symbol for slavery.

Punjabi media focused on Punjabi truckers, who make up about a quarter of all Canadian truckers, and the hardships of the industry. OMNI News Punjabi featured some Punjabis among the protesters, who emphasized that they are against the mandates, not the vaccine, and object to protesters being silenced and insulted as extremists.

Several other features on OMNI Punjabi focused on Punjabi truckers who are stuck on the U.S. side of the Canadian border by Coutts, Alberta and by Windsor, Ontario. These truckers had to reportedly live in their trucks for days without access to food or medical supplies and were unable to do their jobs, deliver their goods and attend to personal commitments back home. Several other features highlighted that the Punjabi truckers have other priorities.

According to ethnic media reports, most Punjabi truckers are vaccinated, as vaccine coverage in the Punjabi community is high. Their priorities are around road safety, snow clearance, road maintenance, as well as working conditions and wage theft.

In fact, the West Coast Trucking Association organized a separate protest in January to demand better road maintenance on B.C. highways, which has not been mentioned by anyone taking part at the ‘Freedom Convoy.’ One trucker started an online fundraiser to “Support Canada’s real struggling truckers,” which had raised $7,866 as of Feb. 9, according to OMNI Punjabi.

Another top story was the Conservative leadership race.

Coverage reflected the vote to oust Erin O’Toole, the selection of Candice Bergen as interim leader, the candidacy of Pierre Poilievre, and speculations around other potential candidates such as Premier Doug Ford, Mayor Patrick Brown, Peter MacKay and Jean Charest.

However, the race took a particular spin in the Chinese media, where it was coloured by perceptions of the Conservative party’s hostility towards China. Erin O’Toole was perceived to be extremely anti-China, which may have lost the Conservatives several constituencies with a significant Chinese population in the last election, as Ming Pao Toronto reported on Feb. 3.

Reports reflect that Chinese media were relieved and delighted at O’Toole’s ousting, because having him as prime minister would, in their view, further increase discrimination and hate against the Chinese diaspora, according to reports from Van People.

And according to a report on Sing Tao Vancouver, Lin Wen, co-founder of the Canadian Chinese Political Affairs Council, figured that no matter who the new Conservative leader is, the Conservative Party’s China policy will not be changed.

Another topic that has more prominence in the ethnic media than in the mainstream has been Black History Month.

In the mainstream, Black History Month was covered either from a bird’s-eye view of its significance, sometimes with reference to event listings, or with a focus on statements by political leaders, from the Prime Minister to local mayors. It also looked at ceremonies like flag-raisings and museum exhibits. Some contributions feature a Black author or a celebrity like Lincoln Alexander.

The ethnic media, on the other hand, were more focused on issues of concern to and activities arising within the Black community.

The radio station G 98.7 FM and OMNI TV reported in depth on the BE-STEMM 2022 virtual conference organized by the Canadian Black Scientists Network. The network has found that there are few Blacks in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) because Black students are not encouraged to pursue these areas in school. The network aims to open doors for Black people in Canada and around the world, as G 98.7 FM and OMNI TV Focus Punjabi reported on Feb. 4.

Another talk show on G 98.7 FM was devoted to a discussion on COVID with members of the Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity. According to the task force, the Black community is over-exposed to COVID because many cannot work from home, have to commute on public transit, work in customer service or care-giving jobs, and have underlying health conditions putting them at greater risk, such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma.

School disruption was also discussed as something that wreaks more havoc for Black and low-income children’s learning than for other groups. At the same time, Blacks are under-vaccinated because they distrust the authorities, information is not communicated to them appropriately, and they are targets of racialized disinformation using specific triggers from their historical experience.

Often, ethnic media highlights issues of concern to a community that are either not reflected in the mainstream media or which are only picked up by it after they circulate in the ethnic media for a while.

One such example was a story about the Hindu community in B.C. protesting against a new small business owner who is using an image of Lord Ganesh along with profane language in her logo.

Community members, including about 40 organizations, are gathering signatures to have her stop using either the image or the wording, have approached local MLAs and MPs, held a protest at the Hindu temple, and are looking into legal action and mounting a PR campaign on social media.

They feel this is cultural appropriation, Hinduphobia and racism, and they want a new law to protect Hindu culture. MP Sukh Dhaliwal attended the protest and said Canada is a diverse country and that we should celebrate each other’s culture and faith. He was going to approach the Heritage Minister and Prime Minister about this.

The story broke on the indiansinvancouver.ca blog on Jan. 31 and then on the Desibuzz Canada news website on Feb. 4. It was only then that it was picked up by CBC Vancouver on Feb. 6 as a report about the protest at the temple and by the Punjabi station Zee TV on Feb. 8.

This article has been produced in collaboration with MIREMS Multilingual Research and Ethnic Media Services, which provided summaries from print, web and broadcast news platforms in a variety of languages.

Fernando Arce, with files from the NCM News Desk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, New Canadian Media

US senator compares Freedom Convoy to Joe Rogan

Ted Cruz said Joe Rogan and Canadian activist truckers were disliked by leftists because they can’t be controlled

Protesters of the Freedom convoy gather in Ottawa, Canada. 

© Kadri Mohamed / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

Texas Senator Ted Cruz issued a scathing attack on left-wing politicians in the US and Canada, accusing them of “trying to silence” activists who oppose government control and Covid vaccine mandates.

"They don't like Joe Rogan for the same reason they don't like the Canadian truckers – because he’s saying things that they can’t control,” Cruz told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday. He also condemned what he said were efforts by the White House to “silence” any views that “autocrats didn’t approve.”

The senator’s comments follow an urging from the US to their Canadian counterparts on Thursday to “use federal powers” to stop the truckers who are protesting the Canadian Covid vaccine mandate by blocking the border crossing between the two countries. 

Cruz, who was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, defended the actions of the Freedom Convoy truckers, calling their actions “powerful” and a reflection of people who are “fed up with these petty, totalitarian government officials” that attempt to “control every aspect of your life.”

Read more

 US tells Canada to stop trucker protests at border

The US Department of Homeland Security warned on Wednesday that it could face its own domestic trucker protests around the Super Bowl or President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. 

The senator’s defense of individuals who are critical of government actions in the US and Canada comes amid ongoing controversy over Spotify hosting Joe Rogan’s podcast, despite claims he has allowed the spread of Covid misinformation on the show.

Rogan has defended himself, arguing that he is simply trying to hear opinions from “highly credentialed, very intelligent, very accomplished people” that differ from “the mainstream narrative.”

US conservative figures cheer on Canadian

trucker protest

NEW YORK (AP) — Several conservative media figures in the U.S. have taken up the cause of Canadian truckers who have occupied parts of Ottawa and blocked border crossings to protest COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.

Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity cheered the truckers on while showing four live reports from Ottawa this week. Tucker Carlson's online store is selling “I (heart) Tucker” T-shirts edited to say “I (heart) Truckers.”

“Send our solidarity, love and support to all of the brave people who are there,” Hannity told Fox reporter Sara Carter, who was with the protesters in Ottawa, on his show Thursday. “Don't give up.”

The Canadian protesters are decrying vaccine mandates for truckers and other COVID-19 restrictions and are railing against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, though many of the country’s infection measures are already rapidly being lifted as the omicron surge levels off. Parts shortages caused by the protests have rippled through the auto industry on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border.

In a bulletin to local and state law enforcement officers, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that it has received reports of similar protests being planned in the United States.

The agency said the protests could begin in Southern California as early as this weekend and potentially spread to Washington around the State of the Union address in March.

Between Jan. 18 through Thursday, Fox News Channel has devoted 10 hours and 8 minutes of airtime to the story, according to the liberal watchdog Media Matters for America, which frequently criticizes the network.

And it's not just Fox.

Ben Shapiro of The Daily Wire said on his show, sitting in front of a headline that said Canadians were “fed up” with Trudeau, that mandates had to stop. The protesters are particularly upset about a requirement that all truck drivers entering the country be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. An estimated 90 percent of Canadian truckers already are.

“Nobody wants giant bridges shut down,” Shapiro said. “Obstructing traffic is bad no matter what you are protesting for. However, the cause of this protest happens to be righteous.”

The lead story on the Red State website for a time Thursday was headlined, “East Bound and Down: US Truck Convoy is Being Planned, Could Be Headed to DC.” Reporter Sarah Lee mocked a “very silly” piece in Politico that included a quote from an analyst who works for a think tank that tracks extremism, who noted worrying parallels to the buildup before the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection.

Hannity's support for what Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford has called an occupation comes after months where he decried violence and destruction of property at some Black Lives Matter protests in the United States.

The difference, Hannity asserted, is the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” is peaceful. On Monday, Hannity interviewed a reporter from the conservative website Rebel News, who described the Ottawa protest site as a “family environment” and “like a Canada Day festival every day.”

The protests have been largely peaceful, although some residents have complained of harassment and there is an arson investigation tied to one incident. Shapiro said critics of the truckers are guilty of “nutpacking,” or focusing on a crazed person and linking them to the entire protest movement.

It's a familiar tactic in politics: pointing to a more extreme position held by a member of an opposition party and saying it represents everyone.

Lara Trump, the former U.S. president's daughter-in-law and a Fox News contributor, offered her support for the truckers on Hannity's show Tuesday.

“Right here in America, people are cheering them on, because this is about freedom,” she said.

In a lengthy monologue on his show this week, Carlson suggested that it was inconsistent for the “intellectual elite” to largely support protest movements started by workers yet oppose this one. He said that many times trends start in the United States and move to Canada, but this time the opposite could happen.

“The trucker convoy in Canada is pretty cool,” he said. “People getting together to promote human rights. Who's against that?”

David Bauder, The Associated Press

‘Freedom convoy’ fundraising: No rise in suspicious transaction reports due to protests, financial watchdog says

The deputy director of Fintrac testified Thursday as the National Security Committee probed violent extremism and those funding it, against a backdrop of protests unfolding across the country against vaccine mandates and health restrictions.

By Alex McKeen

Vancouver Bureau

POSTMEDIA
Thu., Feb. 10, 2022

Fundraising for Canada’s “Freedom Convoy” has not been linked to any spike in suspicious financial transactions, this country’s money-industry watchdog has testified.

The deputy director of Fintrac testified Thursday as the National Security Committee probed violent extremism and those funding it, against a backdrop of protests unfolding across the country against vaccine mandates and health restrictions.

Barry MacKillop, deputy director of Fintrac responsible for tactical intelligence and targeted strategic intelligence, said the agency has partnerships with banks, money-transfer companies and foreign watchdogs that would allow it to detect potential suspicious activity stemming from fundraising on platforms such as GoFundMe and GiveSendGo, both of which have been used to raise money for the protesters.

But, he said, the agency hasn’t seen an uptick in reports that meet its thresholds for alerting law-enforcement agencies of potential money laundering or terrorism schemes.

“We have not seen a spike in suspicious-transaction reporting related to this,” MacKillop said. “What we’re going through right now is a unique event.”


He said Fintrac has typically not viewed online fundraising platforms as a place used to facilitate money laundering or funding terrorism.

Fintrac is an arm’s-length agency reporting to the finance minister and tasked with ensuring public compliance with Canada’s laws to prevent money-laundering and financing of terrorism.

Among the data the centre collects are financial transaction reports and information taken directly from the public.

The National Security Committee agreed last Thursday to invite representatives from GoFundMe to speak about the more than $10 million raised for the Freedom Convoy through its platform, as part of a study into potential foreign interference in the “Freedom Convoy” that has been occupying Ottawa for more than two weeks.

GoFundMe cancelled the fundraiser last Friday, citing evidence from Ottawa police that the cause had become an “occupation” rather than a peaceful protest. It’s reimbursing all donations to the fund, and is still invited to appear before the national security committee.

On Thursday, Liberal Taleeb Noormohamed moved to expand the scope of the committee’s study to include not only the rise of ideologically motivated violent extremism in Canada and the influence of foreign and domestic actors in funding it, but to interview representatives from GiveSendGo, Paypal and Stripe, as well as Canada’s national security organizations and police.

GiveSendGo is the Christian fundraising site that quickly became the alternative fundraising platform for the convoy after the GoFundMe page was cancelled. Another fundraiser was launched on the Bitcoin fundraising site TallyCoin, but it was not named in Noormohamed’s motion.SKIP 

MacKillop was asked Thursday by Liberal committee members about whether he felt there were any policy gaps that could be plugged to help the agency track down potentially nefarious money transactions taking place on fundraising sites such as GoFundMe and GiveSendGo.

MacKillop responded that, although fundraising websites are not required to report potentially suspicious donations directly to agencies such as Fintrac or the equivalent in the United States, these donations are not truly hidden from oversight because they “intersect” with other types of companies that do have reporting requirements.

That includes money-transfer applications, such as Stripe and Paypal, which process donations, and banks, which see the donations when they are deposited.

He said the agency is always looking for ways to improve their methods of oversight, and other sectors that might be included in their reporting.

“We really have to find a balance between what could be imposed as a burden and the intelligence that could be received,” he said.

Sectors that Fintrac is looking at including in its regime include online fundraising and digital currencies.

With a file from Jeremy Nuttall

Conservatives call for blockades to end, pushing feds to end COVID-19 mandates

Rachel Aiello

CTVNews.ca 

Online Politics Producer
@rachaiello 

Thursday, February 10, 2022 

The Conservatives have taken the cause of trucker convoy protesters to the floor of the House of Commons, advancing a push for the federal government to present a plan to lift all federal COVID-19 mandates, while calling for the blockades to come to an end.

“I believe the time has come for you to take down the barricades, stop the disruptive action, and come together. The economy that you want to see reopened, is hurting,” said Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen in the House of Commons on Thursday morning.

“I believe this is not what you want to do… You're protesting because you love your country, you want your freedom back. To the protesters here in Ottawa, you came bringing a message, that message has been heard.”

Bergen made these remarks as she was presenting a motion from her party that will force a vote calling on the federal government to present a plan to lift all federal COVID-19 “mandates and restrictions” by the end of the month.

Through its opposition day motion on Thursday, the Official Opposition is having the chamber spend most of the day debating its proposal to see the federal government present this plan by Feb. 28, citing provinces beginning to lift COVID-19 restrictions and referencing a comment from Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam where she suggested existing measures should be “re-evaluated.”

In her opening speech presenting the motion, Bergen called the “Freedom Convoy” that has occupied the precinct around Parliament Hill and other locations in the city and has now prompted blockades at border crossings in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario, an “international phenomenon.”

Her calls to see the protests cease come after she and other Conservative MPs spent the last two weeks supporting the convoy’s aims and meeting with truckers. Last week, Bergen suggested internally that her party should make it Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s problem to solve.

Now, Bergen is imploring colleagues from all parties to come together to play a role in ending the impasse and restoring “peace and order,” while allowing Canadians to “get back to their normal life.”

Responding during question period, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed the Conservatives for spending the last few weeks “endorsing and enabling these blockades across the country,” and said the consequences of this “are having dire impacts.”

Bergen had also been calling for a meeting between all party leaders, and late Thursday night Trudeau convened a virtual meeting with opposition party leaders to discuss the current situation.

“Everyone in this country is sick and tired of lockdowns and quite frankly, of COVID-19. But Canadians also know that the way through this pandemic is by listening to science is by following public health advice,” said the prime minister.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who also has been calling for a clear plan from the federal government to “safely” navigate out of the pandemic, said Thursday that any lifting of measures should be made based on the advice of public health advisers and implored Trudeau to do more to see the demonstrations dismantled.


“I have no idea how the prime minister of this country can sit back and let this happen. The prime minister of a G7 nation can't solve this? The prime minister of one of the wealthiest countries in the world can’t make sure people are safe in the nation's capital?... Can’t make sure that our borders are open?” he said to reporters during a press conference.

“And there's disputes by the prime minister and the Liberal government federally about who's responsible… Either way in a crisis, people don't want to hear the excuse of jurisdiction. People are fed up, and we need to immediately see leadership to fix this, to solve this.”

During question period, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said he wants to hear how the prime minister plans to “put out this fire.”

“There are obstructions taking place at the 911 call centre. There are also obstructions at the Ottawa airport. And things are growing increasingly difficult,” he said.

RESPONSE TO MOTION

Responding to the Conservative motion, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said that while the country is in a different place in addressing COVID-19 than it was two years ago—in part thanks to vaccinations—the pandemic has not ended.

Thousands of new COVID-19 cases are being reported daily, and the health-care system remains stretched.

“We are all tired. Health-care workers are exhausted. Businesses have struggled and closed down. Our mental health has declined, and there is no doubt that the most vulnerable among us—children and the elderly in particular—have suffered disproportionately," Duclos said.

"There are real consequences, that's why the decision by provinces and territories to impose restrictions has always been considered carefully and responsibly based on scientific evidence, and have constantly been re-evaluated."

The federal government has implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates for air, rail and marine travel; for public servants; and in federally-regulated sectors such as cross-border trucking, though the vast majority of restrictions and other measures such as curfews and capacity limits are provincial jurisdiction.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, who is facing continued questions over what role the federal government is playing in seeing these blockades end, said he was encouraged to see that the Official Opposition leader “has finally come around” to call for the “illegal blockades” to end.

The motion is slated to come to a vote on Monday.


Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen finishes her remarks during an emergency debate in the House of Commons on the situation in Ottawa, as a protest against COVID-19 restrictions that has been marked by gridlock and the sound of truck horns continues into its second week, in Ottawa, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

'Whatever it takes': PM says as officials work with U.S. to 'resolve' protests

Ontario considers emergency measures, stiffer fines against protesters, sources say

Who is who? A guide to the major players in the trucker convoy protest

Ontario court freezes access to donations for truckers' protest from GiveSendGo

Conservatives call for blockades to end, pushing feds to end COVID-19 mandates

RCMP say main U.S. border crossing in Manitoba closed by convoy protest

Ottawa police chief repeats call for more resources to end occupation

Canada's 'Freedom Convoy' attracts support from U.S. and around the world

American donors to trucker convoy may be outnumbering Canadians: CTV News analysis

No spike in 'suspicious' transaction reporting amid trucker convoy protests: financial intelligence expert

Police move in on Alberta protesters, issue warnings in Ottawa

Manitoba man trapped in convoy protest while trying to drive his sister to emergency room

Liberals propose to expand trucker convoy fundraising probe into study on ideologically-motivated extremism

Fredericton police chief says he won't allow 'gridlock' as city prepares for 'Freedom Convoy'

Ottawa homeless shelter receives $750,000 in donations after harassment from convoy protesters
Capital Dispatch: Stay up to date on the latest news from Parliament Hill

Trudeau promises Biden 'quick action' against protesters blocking U.S.-Canada bridge

Fri., February 11, 2022, 

By Carlos Osorio, Steve Scherer and Doina Chiacu

WINDSOR, Ontario/OTTAWA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday "quick action" to enforce the law against protesters who have blocked a key U.S. trade corridor and damaged auto production in both nations, the White House said.

Truckers angered by coronavirus mandates began occupying Canada's capital last month before crowding dozens of vehicles on Monday near Ontario's Ambassador Bridge, North America's busiest land border crossing and a choke point for Detroit's carmakers.

Officials are diverting cargo to stem losses after cuts by Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co, Chrysler parent Stellantis and Toyota Motor Corp.

Canada's Ontario province declared a state of emergency on Friday and threatened to fine and jail protesters if they don't leave.

Piling on to earlier calls for action by U.S. officials and business leaders, Biden expressed his concerns over plant closures and production slowdowns during the phone call with Trudeau, the White House said in a statement.

"The two leaders agreed that the actions of the individuals who are obstructing travel and commerce between our two countries are having significant direct impacts on citizens' lives and livelihoods," the statement said.

"The Prime Minister promised quick action in enforcing the law, and the President thanked him for the steps he and other Canadian authorities are taking to restore the open passage of bridges to the United States," it added.

Trudeau told reporters that he agreed with Biden that the blockades cannot continue, and that Canadian banks were monitoring financial activity related to the funding of the protests and taking necessary action.

The "Freedom Convoy" protest, launched by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, is also occupying areas outside government buildings in the capital city of Ottawa and has blocked two smaller U.S. crossings.

The protest has inspired similar convoys and plans in France https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-freedom-convoys-head-towards-paris-police-checkpoints-2022-02-11, New Zealand, Australia and the United States, whose Department of Homeland Security is working to ensure that a "Freedom Convoy" event due in early March in Washington, D.C., "does not disrupt lawful trade."

Biden's administration had earlier urged Canada to use federal powers to ease the Ambassador Bridge blockade, a step Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has not taken. Trudeau said on Friday his government was not contemplating calling in the military over the protests.

JAIL THREATS, AUTO CUTS

The leader of Ontario, where police have avoided using force to disperse protesters, sought to build pressure on Friday by threatening C$100,000 fines and up to a year in prison for non-compliance.

Announcing the penalties as part of emergency measures, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said they were needed to "make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure."

Ford said protesters had "attempted to disrupt our way of life by targeting our lifeline for food, fuel and goods across our borders," and that they were "trying to force a political agenda through disruption, intimidation and chaos."

It was not immediately clear if and when authorities would begin issuing fines or seeking jail sentences. A Canadian mayor whose city abuts the bridge sought a court injunction physically removed on Thursday to have the protesters removed.

With car production cuts mounting, Ford, the second-largest U.S. automaker, said on Friday it had temporarily halted work at its assembly plant in Ohio. It warned in a statement of a widespread impact on all automakers in both nations.

The stock of Canadian autoparts maker Magna International fell 4.4% on Friday after it said it had seen an initial hit from the bridge's closure.

General Motors and Toyota also announced new production cuts.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, home to nearly a fifth of all U.S. car production, told CNN: "The Canadian government has to do whatever it takes to safely and swiftly resolve this."

Trudeau says he is working with municipal leaders to end the blockade. His intergovernmental affairs minister, Dominic LeBlanc, said Canada has been "very engaged" with its U.S. partners over the crisis.

"Just because somebody doesn't agree with a particular public-health measure doesn't entitle them to damage hundreds of millions of dollars of cross-border trade, or create enormous disruption and abuse on the streets of the nation's capital," LeBlanc told reporters.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said federal police had deployed additional units to Ottawa, where officers have made 25 arrests so far. Mendicino was scheduled to speak with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday, his office said.

($1 = 1.2737 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil, Kanishka Singh, Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru, Steven Scherer in Ottawa, Anna Mehler-Paperny in Toronto and Doina Chiacu and David Shepardson in Washington; Writing by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Karishma Singh and Mark Porter)

On the ground at a Canadian trucker protest: Reporter's notebook


The joke magnet at the bottom of an Ottawa market rack had suddenly taken on a new meaning, proudly proclaiming "I survived Ottawa traffic!"

What’s at stake as protests continue at the US-Canada border over COVID restrictions

Blocks away, traffic is the new residence for thousands of frustrated Canadians camping out indefinitely in tractor trailers in the shadow of Parliament Hill.

MORE: DHS warns of trucker protests ahead of Super Bowl, but stresses they're aspirational

They've made themselves right at home: grills and smokers serving up freshly cooked food, makeshift clotheslines hoisting soon-to-be frozen pants and elaborate speaker systems leading dance parties at the conclusion of dozens of anti-vaccine, anti-government speeches.

There are twinges of stereotypically Canadian politeness everywhere -- the demonstrators have kept the sidewalks shoveled, and plenty of people would wish us a good day, including a man sporting a pin that read "the media is the virus." Even the police statement issued nearly two weeks in seemed to tread lightly: If you're blocking the streets, you might be committing a crime, and you could, possibly, get arrested.

But even though we were in another country, our walks through the crowds felt overwhelmingly familiar: the sloganeering about freedom, the anecdotes of vaccines gone bad, the ever-encroaching boogeymen of socialism and communism, and even their behavior toward us -- individually pleasant but often communally venomous -- insisting that we, the infamous mainstream media, were only there to lyingly promote our "narrative."MORE: Jan. 6 investigators find gaps in Trump White House call logs, sources say

Swap the maple leaves for stars and stripes, and every scribbled "Trudeau" with "Biden," and you'd swear you were at a QAnon rally in the U.S.


ABC News' Trevor Ault reports from a protest in Ottawa, Canada, where thousands have gathered in tractor trailers to demonstrate against the country's COVID-19 policies.

A common talking point was an insistence that they were not "the fringe minority," a term I heard used repeatedly. One man told me he believed their movement was supported by "probably billions of people."

Based on anecdotal evidence of my own, I think that's unlikely.

From what I could tell, the general consensus around Ottawa outside the protest is that Canada's government has perhaps been heavy-handed in its COVID-19 protocols, but when it comes to public health policies, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Most people understood some of the demonstrators' frustrations, but the excessive vaccine skepticism was a non-starter, and this shutdown was already more disruptive to their lives than a quick QR scan to get into a restaurant.


© Justin Tang /The Canadian Press via APA protester waves the Canadian flag in front of a revving truck on Wellington Street as a protest against COVID-19 restrictions continues in Ottawa, Feb. 10, 2022.

I witnessed one shouting match between a protester and a masked man who was walking by. The protester said he was defending freedom, and how else was he supposed to do that? The masked man replied, "Vote!" The protester paused, then told the man to get lost.MORE: Truck blockade at US-Canadian border shuts auto plants

Now, as new blockades continue to pop up at the border and some provinces with falling caseloads roll back their COVID-19 policies, the protesters are even more certain they are right and even more convinced they'll get what they want. And some of them want even more than policy rollbacks. They want jail time, or even death, for the politicians who instituted the policies in the first place.

Pandemic fatigue and mandate confusion are not necessarily unpopular opinions, but misinformation travels freely -- and it doesn't stop at the border.

Washington braced for protests as it calls for Canada to act against ‘Freedom Convoy’

Protestors gather along Wellington Street, Ottawa, as a protest against Covid-19 restrictions that has been marked by gridlock and the sound of truck horns reaches its 14th day, in Ottawa, Thursday, February 10, 2022

WASHINGTON has urged Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to use federal powers to end a protest by lorry drivers angry over coronavirus restrictions with similar demonstrations set for the US.

The White House said that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had spoken to their Canadian counterparts as a key transport route remained closed.

Drivers taking part in the “Freedom Convoy” have blocked the Ambassador Bridge between Ontario and Detroit for four consecutive days.

It has caused car production plants on the US side to shut down and been condemned by the Teamsters union.

Ontario’s conservative leader Doug Ford was successful as he asked a court to freeze millions of dollars of funding to the protests raised via crowdfunding site GiveSendGo and described the convoy as “an occupation.”

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer urged Canadian authorities to quickly resolve the standoff, saying: “It’s hitting pay cheques and production lines. That is unacceptable.”

The US fears that a protest convoy will disrupt this weekend’s Super Bowl in Southern Carolina and make its way to Washington for the State of the Union address in March.

Similar protests are set for Belgium and France.

U.S. organizers plan convoys in support of Canadian truckers

A variety of U.S. groups are organizing convoys of trucks and other vehicles for this weekend and early next month, emulating the protests against COVID-19 mandates that have roiled Canada in recent days and disrupted North American supply lines. An organization dubbed "Convoy to Save America" said on its website that two separate vehicle convoys will converge this weekend at the Peace Bridge, a U.S.-Canadian border crossing in Buffalo, New York.

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Reuters | Updated: 11-02-2022 

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Avariety of U.S. groups are organizing convoys of trucks and other vehicles for this weekend and early next month, emulating the protests against COVID-19 mandates that have roiled Canada in recent days and disrupted North American supply lines.

An organization dubbed "Convoy to Save America" said on its website that two separate vehicle convoys will converge this weekend at the Peace Bridge, a U.S.-Canadian border crossing in Buffalo, New York. One of the convoys will leave New York City on Friday and the second from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, on Saturday. Pennie Fay, one of the group's founders, told Reuters that the convoys will consist of sports utility vehicles and minivans filled with supplies such as water, food, gas cards and blankets for Canadian truck drivers who arrive on the U.S. side.

"This weekend is about the Canadians, about supporting them," said Fay, who is leaving from Nashville, "while at the same time bringing attention to the fact that we want the mandates gone. Remove them from state to state. We want a free country." In Canada, the trucker protest is entering its third week. Beginning as a protest over a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, its scope has expanded to include a more generalized opposition to government rules set up to control the spread of the virus over the past two years.

Truck drivers have occupied the Canadian capital of Ottawa and now are blocking the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest international land border crossing in North America and a critical lifeline for the automotive industry, between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan. Truckers have also blocked smaller border crossings in

 Canada's Alberta and Manitoba provinces. Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency on Friday.

Calls for financial help for U.S. and Canadian truckers have been created on fundraising websites. A campaign on the Christian fundraising site Givesendgo.com has raised more than $8 million for Canadian truckers while another has raised more than $41,000 for truckers in the United States. Some U.S. Republicans have vowed to investigate GoFundMe after it took down a page accepting donations in support of protesting truck drivers.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned law enforcement agencies of a possible convoy of protesting truckers gathering at this weekend's Super Bowl in Los Angeles, according to several media reports. The agency said in a statement that it is tracking reports of a potential convoy traveling to several U.S. cities, but the statement did not allude to the Super Bowl.

A variety of U.S. groups are organizing on social media platforms such as Telegram, TikTok and Facebook, aiming to tap into frustration that appears to be growing among Americans over COVID-19 mandates. In some cases, logistics for possible large convoys across the nation are part of those discussions. One of the efforts, dubbed "The People's Convoy," which has 64,000 followers on Facebook, is planning a rally in Coachella Valley in Indio, California, on March 4. Truck drivers will then convoy from California and other parts of the country to Washington, D.C., to show their disapproval over mandates.

"It's happening whether you like it or not, it's going to happen," Brian Brase, one of the group's organizers, said in a recent TikTok post. "It's not a right issue. It's not a left issue. It's not an anti-vax thing. It's about the constitution and our rights as Americans." Brase could not be reached immediately for further comments.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

European capitals vow to stop ‘Freedom Convoy’ spreading from Canada

By Ellen Francis
Updated February 11, 2022

Washington: Authorities in France and Belgium are taking no chances with truck-led protests against COVID restrictions, taking steps to ban road blockades being organised online.

They said on Friday (AEDT) they would try to stop planned convoys from entering those cities.

The protests started in opposition to US and Canadian rules requiring cross-border truck drivers to be fully vaccinated. But they’ve mushroomed into a broader movement against pandemic restrictions.

A man puts a poster reads “Liberty Convoy” on a van before leaving for Paris, in Bayonne, south-western France.

CREDIT:AP

The convoy rolled into Ottawa on January 28. Since then, the Canadian demonstrations have drawn support and inspired copycats from Australia to New Zealand and to Europe.

Paris police said in a statement that convoys now en route to the French capital from across the country will not be able to enter the city for planned rallies this weekend “because of a risk to public order.” Penalties for blocking public roads include two years in prison, €4500 ($7200) in fines and driving bans, the statement noted.

Not long afterwards, in Brussels, where several groups planned to converge on February 14, the mayor announced that a procession modelled on Canada’s “Freedom Convoy” would not be allowed in. Vehicles arriving to protest would be “diverted,” the mayor said.

Though it is not clear whether authorities in either city will succeed in identifying, let alone stopping, motorists bound for rallies, the attempt to preempt their arrival underscores the nerves in Western capitals as officials watch a small but radical group wreak havoc in North America.

Trucks block the road outside the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, Canada, as protesters plan similar anti-COVID restriction blockades in Paris, Brussels and beyond.

CREDIT:THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

On Thursday, a convoy with passengers shouting “freedom!” and “fake news!” descended on Ottawa International Airport, near Parliament Hill, causing traffic disruptions and delays.

Some 400 trucks remained downtown, jamming major thoroughfares. Police said there had been 25 arrests, including for mischief and menacing behaviour. Authorities have issued more than 1700 fines, received reports of 400 hate incidents and are pursuing some 120 active investigations.

Protesters blockaded a third US-Canada border crossing on Friday (AEDT), escalating a crisis that’s leading automakers to cut production, weighing on the economies of both countries and prompting US officials from mayors to the White House to call for their Canadian counterparts to intervene.

That bridge, which connects Windsor in Canada to Detroit in the US, is the busiest land crossing on the border, and a key conduit for the auto industries on both sides.

Protesters block access to the Canada-United States border crossing at Emerson, Manitoba, with heavy trucks and farm equipment on Thursday.

CREDIT:THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

Many businesses in Canada have been closed due to security concerns and the lives of residents have been disrupted. Some have been harassed for wearing masks, police have said. Protesters are rallying also against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Pat King, a far-right figure listed as a regional organiser for the Canadian convoy, has said the only way to end restrictions “is with bullets”. In a video streamed online, he agreed with a passenger who said “it’s going until the mandates are gone and the premiers are gone and the prime minister is gone.”

“And the dissolving of the Liberal Party,” King added.

Police have said that those found to be taking part in criminal activity, which could include blocking streets or “assisting others in the blocking of streets,” could be arrested. They’ve also said that if suspects are convicted, their vehicles could be seized and forfeited and they could be denied permission to cross the border.

In the US, federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies are bracing for the possibility of a protest by truckers that could begin this weekend and carry into March, potentially including a cross-country caravan and disruptions to cities and major transportation routes.

Already in Alaska, dozens of truckers gathered in Anchorage on Sunday, driving to suburban Eagle River to show support for the Ottawa protesters, according to local media outlets. “Mandates should be our choice, whether you want the shots or not,” one truck driver told the Anchorage Daily News, which reported that other cities in Alaska saw similar events.


People carrying a large Canadian flag march on Brooklyn Bridge during an anti-vaccine mandate protest ahead of possible termination of New York City employees due to their vaccination status in New York. 

CREDIT:AP

The protests have also spread to New Zealand where vehicles clogged streets in the capital, Wellington, with horns blaring on Wednesday. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the protesters as a minority.

Police officers form a line in front of protesters at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand.

CREDIT:GETTY

In Australia, a pedestrian “Convoy to Canberra” has lasted for about eight days with a largely peaceful atmosphere and are expected to keep going into the weekend.

The ‘Convoy to Canberra’ protest at the front of Parliament House on February 5.

CREDIT:ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN

The Washington Post