Canadian Trucker’s Protest Bottlenecks Cross Border Trade

February 19, 2022 – Canadian truckers protesting COVID-19 mandates blockaded and forced a shutdown of multiple border crossings across the US-Canada Border. Most notably, the Ambassador Bridge which is a critical supply route between Windsor, Canada, and the United States have been impacted.  This bridge serves as a vital supply line between the US and Canada, based largely in the Detroit metro area, for the automobile industry. This closure has showcased how important cross-border trade is to daily operations in North America.  

The bridge was shut down as a result of large-scale protests in response to vaccine mandates imposed on Canadian truckers. The vaccination requirements, announced last month by the U.S. and Canada, require unvaccinated truck drivers to quarantine for two weeks after crossing the border. In Canada, a convoy of truckers opposed to the mandates are now adding to bigger protests of the government’s Covid restrictions.  

In a statement by Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, he said “The Ambassador Bridge is one of the most important border crossings in the world and it carries with it a significant portion of all trade between Canada and the United States. We will continue to work very closely to see that this blockade is disengaged so we can keep the supply chains moving across the Ambassador Bridge.” 

In addition to the border crossing closure at ambassador bridge, trucker protests have also forced closures of crossings in Alberta, Canada.