Canadian Trucker’s Protest Bottlenecks Cross Border Trade
By: SiliconExpert on February 19th, 2022
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.
More than two-thirds of the C$650 billion ($511 billion) in goods traded annually between Canada and the United States are transported by road. This highlights just how critical the Ambassador Bridge and other US-Canada border crossings are to North American commerce.
The disruptions at Ambassador bridge are likely to lead to disruptions at key automaking plants located in the Detroit metro area. SiliconExpert has compiled a list of Automakers and the impacts the protests are having on their business operations.
List of Automakers Affected by Protest Shutdowns
Toyota
- Ontario manufacturing facilities are not expected to produce any units for the remainder of the week (2/7 – 2/11)
Ford
- Windsor factory suspends production of engine output
- Oakville (near Toronto) factory is operating on a reduced schedule
- Forecasting a widespread impact on all operations as a result of Ambassador Bridge closure
Stellantis (Chrysler Parent Company)
- Windsor factory announced it was facing a shortage of parts and ended shifts early on Tuesday (2/8) but was able to resume normal operations the following day
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References
- https://www.dw.com/en/canada-trucker-protest-forces-auto-industry-shutdowns/a-60722526
- https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/07/americas/canada-covid-protest-explainer/index.html
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60267841
- https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadian-authorities-scramble-end-anti-vaccine-mandate-protests-2022-02-09/
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