Although opinions differ widely about Canadian truckers’ Freedom Convoy protests, the U.S. Department of Transportation chief stands firmly against the truckers and their supporters.
During a recent conference call with Canadian counterparts, DOT Sec. Pete Buttigieg reportedly urged the “use Federal powers to resolve this situation at our joint border.” When translated from political speak into the common tongue, that means orchestrating a crackdown using resources that include officers in full riot gear.
Although it’s unlikely Canadians would deploy that level of force against peaceful protestors, the message was received loud and clear. Since the discussion that involved Buttigieg and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and provincial leaders have taken a firm position against the truckers and their supporters.
After Freedom Convoy blocked the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, for four consecutive days, Trudeau indicated he would follow Buttigieg’s example and “respond with whatever it takes” to bust up the so-called roadblocks. Wide-reaching arrests were conducted, and some involved disturbing the peace for honking vehicle horns in solidarity.
At the Ambassador Bridge, which handles upwards of 25 percent of all U.S.-Canadian border-crossing trade, Freedom Convoy truckers made their message felt on both sides of the border as manufacturing plants slowed or temporarily shut down operations.
“The disruptions we are seeing at the U.S.-Canada border — at the Detroit-Windsor Ambassador Bridge and at other crossings — are adding to the significant supply chain strains on manufacturers and other businesses in the United States,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers and Business Roundtable said in a joint statement. “We respectfully urge the Canadian government to act swiftly to address the disruption to the flow of trade and its impact on manufacturers and other businesses on both sides of the border.”
On the Canadian side of the border, Conservative Party members on the other side of the aisle from Trudeau have voiced support for reducing and removing pandemic restrictions. Members of the opposition party have called for Freedom Convoy truckers to stand down. Conservative Ontario Premier Doug Ford went as far as to ask a court to freeze GiveSendGo crowdfunding money in an effort to defund Freedom Convoys.
In the U.S., Buttigieg and Mayorkas share a growing concern the movement will prompt like-minded American truckers to organize and roll trucks on Washington, D.C. The White House reportedly deployed resources to Los Angeles after rumors of a Freedom Convoy using the Super Bowl as a staging ground.
Reports indicate that loosely organized U.S. truckers are planning a Convoy to gridlock Washington, D.C., during the State of the Union address. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has been a strong advocate of the movement. He gave something of a tongue-in-cheek response when asked about a possible D.C. protest in March.
“It’d be great, but the thing is, it wouldn’t shut the city down because the government workers haven’t come to work in two years anyway,” Sen. Paul reportedly said. “I don’t know if it’ll affect D.C. It’d be a nice change. We’d actually have some traffic.”
Sources: washingtonpost.com, theguardian.com, cbsnews.com
Leave a Comment