Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency Friday as Canada headed into the third weekend of “Freedom Convoy” truck protests that have paralyzed Ottawa and blockaded several U.S.-Canada border crossings. He said he would seek to impose steep fines and prison time for people blocking highways and bridges.
Speaking at a news conference, Ford urged protesters to end the blockades peacefully. “We’re now two weeks into the siege of the city of Ottawa,” he said. “I call it a siege because that’s what it is. It’s an illegal occupation. This is no longer a protest.”
He said he would convene his cabinet and “urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.”
Fines would be “severe,” he warned, with penalties up to $78,000 a year in prison. Ford said he would consider taking away the personal and commercial licenses of anyone who doesn’t comply with these orders.
The initial state of emergency will last for 42 hours. Ford’s cabinet will meet Saturday to discuss further amendments, solicitor general Sylvia Jones said.
Demonstrators holed up in trucks continue to paralyze swaths of downtown Ottawa and blockade three border crossings, including the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, the busiest crossing on the U.S.-Canada border. What started as a protest against rules in both countries requiring truckers to be fully vaccinated before crossing the border has snowballed to include a broader list of grievances. Some protesters are demanding the removal of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was reelected to a third mandate in September.
Why are ‘Freedom Convoy’ truckers protesting in Ottawa? Our reporters answered your questions.
Trudeau said late Thursday he had convened several meetings with cabinet minsters, opposition lawmakers and local officials in an effort to end the blockade and “denounce these illegal acts.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with reporters in Ottawa on Feb. 10. (Dave Chan/AFP/Getty Images)
Trudeau underscored the economic damage being done to the country by the closure of three border crossings and other major roads and bridges. “They’re harming the communities they’re taking place in — and they’re hurting jobs, businesses, and our country’s economy,” he tweeted.
Trudeau also said he was aiding the mayor of Windsor, where the closure of the Ambassador Bridge, a vital supply route between automakers in Windsor and Detroit, has affected some trade. He said officials were working together to “get the situation under control — because it is causing real harm to workers and economies on both sides of the border.”
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said Thursday that the city and auto groups were seeking an injunction to end the blockade. Companies such as Ford and General Motors have said they already have cut production and canceled shifts at some sites.
As the crisis deepens, officials in the United States called on their Canadian counterparts to get the demonstrations under control. The self-styled “Freedom Convoy,” which began as a protest in Ottawa against coronavirus vaccine mandates, is now heading into its third weekend and has crippled much of the Canadian capital.
The impact is also being felt in the United States, where a group of business leaders, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, warned Thursday that the blockade was “adding to the significant supply chain strains on manufacturers and other businesses in the United States.” The chamber said that “we are already seeing some production cuts, shift reductions, and temporary plant closures.”
The Biden administration said Thursday it was monitoring the situation at the border “very closely” and that Cabinet officials were “engaged around the clock to bring this to a swift end.”
Canadian trucker protest upends the lives of Ottawa residents
Ottawa residents like Joycelyn Sinclair Bates have had to deal with incessant honking and exhaust fumes as anti-vaccine demonstrations have dragged on. (Zoeann Murphy, Drea Cornejo/The Washington Post)
Here’s what you need to know about the ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Canada
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged their Canadian counterparts to “use federal powers to resolve this situation” and offered the support of their departments, the White House said.
Speaking at a news conference, Ford urged protesters to end the blockades peacefully. “We’re now two weeks into the siege of the city of Ottawa,” he said. “I call it a siege because that’s what it is. It’s an illegal occupation. This is no longer a protest.”
He said he would convene his cabinet and “urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.”
Fines would be “severe,” he warned, with penalties up to $78,000 a year in prison. Ford said he would consider taking away the personal and commercial licenses of anyone who doesn’t comply with these orders.
The initial state of emergency will last for 42 hours. Ford’s cabinet will meet Saturday to discuss further amendments, solicitor general Sylvia Jones said.
Demonstrators holed up in trucks continue to paralyze swaths of downtown Ottawa and blockade three border crossings, including the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, the busiest crossing on the U.S.-Canada border. What started as a protest against rules in both countries requiring truckers to be fully vaccinated before crossing the border has snowballed to include a broader list of grievances. Some protesters are demanding the removal of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was reelected to a third mandate in September.
Why are ‘Freedom Convoy’ truckers protesting in Ottawa? Our reporters answered your questions.
Trudeau said late Thursday he had convened several meetings with cabinet minsters, opposition lawmakers and local officials in an effort to end the blockade and “denounce these illegal acts.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with reporters in Ottawa on Feb. 10. (Dave Chan/AFP/Getty Images)
Trudeau underscored the economic damage being done to the country by the closure of three border crossings and other major roads and bridges. “They’re harming the communities they’re taking place in — and they’re hurting jobs, businesses, and our country’s economy,” he tweeted.
Trudeau also said he was aiding the mayor of Windsor, where the closure of the Ambassador Bridge, a vital supply route between automakers in Windsor and Detroit, has affected some trade. He said officials were working together to “get the situation under control — because it is causing real harm to workers and economies on both sides of the border.”
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said Thursday that the city and auto groups were seeking an injunction to end the blockade. Companies such as Ford and General Motors have said they already have cut production and canceled shifts at some sites.
As the crisis deepens, officials in the United States called on their Canadian counterparts to get the demonstrations under control. The self-styled “Freedom Convoy,” which began as a protest in Ottawa against coronavirus vaccine mandates, is now heading into its third weekend and has crippled much of the Canadian capital.
The impact is also being felt in the United States, where a group of business leaders, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, warned Thursday that the blockade was “adding to the significant supply chain strains on manufacturers and other businesses in the United States.” The chamber said that “we are already seeing some production cuts, shift reductions, and temporary plant closures.”
The Biden administration said Thursday it was monitoring the situation at the border “very closely” and that Cabinet officials were “engaged around the clock to bring this to a swift end.”
Canadian trucker protest upends the lives of Ottawa residents
Ottawa residents like Joycelyn Sinclair Bates have had to deal with incessant honking and exhaust fumes as anti-vaccine demonstrations have dragged on. (Zoeann Murphy, Drea Cornejo/The Washington Post)
Here’s what you need to know about the ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Canada
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged their Canadian counterparts to “use federal powers to resolve this situation” and offered the support of their departments, the White House said.