Still They Persisted: Canadian Truckers Protest Expands to Critical Ambassador Bridge
Who would have thought the Northern border of the US would get so much attention?
I once lived not far from the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit to Windsor, Canada. My family would cross the bridge every year, traveling to visit family in New York.
It is hard to overstate the importance of that bridge in international trade. It is the single busiest international land border crossing in North America, accommodating 27 percent of the approximately $400 billion in annual trade between Canada.
The Ambassador Bridge has now been added to the ever-expanding list of transportation arteries and cities that are staging areas for the clearly effective “Freedom Convoy“.
The Canadian protester blockade at the Ambassador Bridge has prevented at least $650 million worth of goods from coming into the U.S. since demonstrators protesting COVID mandates arrived at the border on Monday night.
On Thursday, Canadian truck drivers will enter their third full day of protest at the bridge, demanding the federal government revoke its vaccine mandate for cross-border truck drivers, which went into effect on January 15.
America’s automakers are already feeling the hit after three days of car parts not being delivered.
GM and Ford Motor Co. confirmed the bridge blockade has disrupted production of new vehicles and engines at some of their plants Wednesday and Thursday.
About 1 p.m. Thursday, GM notified employees of its Lansing Delta Township Assembly plant that it was canceling second shift due to a parts shortage caused by the bridge protest. In a notice obtained by the Free Press, GM said its first shift at the plant would resume Friday.
GM makes its midsize SUVs at Lansing Delta Township. GM canceled the second shift Wednesday and the first shift Thursday at the factory due to the bridge protest preventing parts from getting to the plant.
Ford’s plant in Oakville, Ontario and its Windsor engine plant are working at “reduced capacity” due to bridge situation, Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said.
At this point, reasonable politicians are beginning to recognize those essential goods and produce are more important than ineffective mandates for vaccines that neither stop infection nor transmission. The Canadian provinces of Alberta, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Prince Edward Island are either ending or substantially rolling back their mandates and vaccine policies.
But the Karens gotta Karen. Harvard professor and CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem want to throw the full force of the Deep State regulatory army at the truckers.
Trust me, I will not run out of ways to make this hurt: cancel their insurance; suspend their drivers licenses; prohibit any future regulatory certification for truckers, etc. Have we learned nothing? These things fester when there are no consequences. https://t.co/JnKOy7EuHd
— Juliette Kayyem (@juliettekayyem) February 10, 2022
Contrast Kayyem’s punitive recommendations against the nature of the protests across Canada.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Canadian truckers and supporters setting up Bouncy castles for children. https://t.co/69QWVwtFRu
— Connie Bevan (@realConnieBevan) February 5, 2022
"Let's make honking illegal. That will stop the noise for sure…"😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/GSWUSyyoCT
— il Donaldo Trumpo (@PapiTrumpo) February 10, 2022
Elites like Kayyem are finding it very difficult to reconcile their assertions about the truckers to the reality that is visible to anyone with access to social media.
Laughably, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer demanded the bridge be opened “immediately”.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on Canada to take “all necessary and appropriate steps to immediately and safely reopen traffic so we can continue growing our economy, supporting good-paying jobs, and lowering costs for families.”
“Our communities and automotive, manufacturing and agriculture businesses are feeling the effects,” she added. “It’s hitting paychecks and production lines. That is unacceptable.”
Biden is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to use “federal” power to crush this inconvenient rebellion.
Canada should use federal powers to ease the growing economic disruption caused by the blockage of a vital U.S.-Canada trade route by protesters opposed to coronavirus mandates, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration said on Thursday.
…U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged their Canadian counterparts “to use Federal powers to resolve this situation at our joint border,” a White House official said on Thursday.
“U.S. and Canadian border and customs authorities are working with great urgency to ensure the continued flow of goods and services across our international border, leveraging alternative land routes, as well as air and sea options.”
The U.S. homeland security adviser, Liz Sherwood Randall, is due to speak with her Canadian Deputy Minister of National Defence Jody Thomas.
Given all of Biden’s successes, Trudeau will be well advised to jettison the mandates and open the country up fully.
Interestingly some liberal Canadian politicians smell blood in the water. A Liberal member of the Canadian Parliament is calling out his own government for what he says is its divisive management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joel Lightbound told reporters in Ottawa today that federal COVID-19 measures, such as vaccination mandates for travellers and civil servants, need to be re-evaluated and the public needs a clear road map for when restrictions will be fully lifted.
Lightbound, who represents the Louis-Hebert riding in Quebec City, says he worries the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a tone and policies that are divisive and risk undermining public trust.
"I have enough respect for my fellow Canadians not to engage in these easy absurd labels," Quebec Liberal MP @JoelLightbound says the #TruckersForFreedom protesters have legitimate concerns. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/qj5SRfZ0eA
— True North (@TrueNorthCentre) February 8, 2022
Meanwhile, the Canadian flag is now being adopted as the symbol of freedom around the world.
France! Take note of the Canadian flag. All these countries that are protesting are making sure they have our flag. It symbolizes peace, democracy, love, and Freedom.
Let Freedom Ring! 🇨🇦 🔔 pic.twitter.com/lYzsBGeDap— bu/ac (@buperac) February 6, 2022
I have to say, though, Biden has had a truly historic presidency already. Who would have ever thought we would need to worry about what is going on along the northern border?
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Canadian Mayor Says Gov. Whitmer Offered Heavy Equipment To Move Trucks Off Bridge Blocked By ‘Freedom Convoy’
https://dailycaller.com/2022/02/10/whitmer-heavy-equipment-trucks-bridge-freedom-convoy/
The mayor misheard wHITLER. She meant she needed heavy duty trucks to haul her fat ass to the border to get a photo op.
Rumor has it Field Marshall Liz Cheney advocates sending General Milley and his newly activated LGBQT+ Blitz Brigade in to overpower the truckers, occupy the bridge, remove all the trucks, and establish a bridgehead in Windsor. She’s beside herself and ecstatic over the opportunity to invade another country.
Should only require a brief stopover on their way to Moscow, via Ukraine. Plus, it will help get them acclimated to the Russian winter and dealing with big burly men. They’ll need it.
They will be orderly, sensitive and oh so disciplined if Milley is in charge. No improper pronouns.
Is that disciplined as in “bondage &”?
Anything is possible today.
I hear, JHogan, that our new elite eunuchs–oops, units–show hairy legs between their dress skirts and high heels….
The same federal losers that a few years ago were all about raging against the machine, now they are the machine and we should shut up.
So, who does Kayyem think will replace all these drivers, if they follow through on her suggestions? Really not well thought out, for a “Harvard Professor”.
isn’t she the one who advocated for slashing the tires, then impounding them?
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/slash-tires-arrest-drivers-harvard-professor-and-cnn-analyst-calls-violence-against
Yes. She’s the genius that said they should empty the gas tanks, slash tires, and THEN move the trucks.
Reminds me a of a line from Hogan’s Heroes. “He will be shot, tried, and then sent to the Russian Front!”
This Professor: Highly intelligent, common sense of a grapefruit.
Well, Miss Juliette, lead the way and show us how. Or are you just going to let your alligator mouth overpower your hummingbird ass?
But once you steal their gas and slash their tires, how are you going to move their trucks?
On the contrary: it is VERY well thought out for a Harvard professor because Harvard is over-rated and has been a joke for decades.
In the days of the real Harvard, she’d not be there.
So, maybe truckers should just skip delivering anything to Harvard or CNN–let’s see how long she lasts without her soy lattes
Maybe the lower politicians will avoid political suicide by acknowledging the science, the truckers, etc., and push for restored freedom.
And maybe as that movement grows, the higher-up politicians will do the same. Until Trudeau is all by himself. Seems like that may be starting to happen in the USA.
Canada used to just send cold air and geese over the border. Now, led by the truckers, they are sending freedom and courage and patriotism to the world’. God bless our great neighbor to the North.
The number of Canadian flags and t-shirts at the protest/occupation in Wellington New Zealand is amazing. The truckers inspired something similar down here and we have the most amazing gathering of people down here. It feels like 2019 is back and if we hold the line over the weekend I don’t think we will lose.
Yes we Kiwis are a bit like sheep but like a mob of sheep when we have had enough we will dig our toes in and face down the sheep dog.
https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/what-the-truckers-want
great article
They want freedom
Remember when the piece of shit Antifa and BLM ‘protesters’ were blocking roads left and right to ‘raise awareness’, and every one of these jackasses cheered them on?
Remember when we warned them that they were setting a precedent that they were going to regret?
Welcome to the new normal under YOUR new rules, jackasses.
The big difference is that people with an actual, tangible grievance are able to sustain it a HELL of a lot longer than the spoiled SJW brats whining about ‘racial awareness’.
Its a test of wills. The Left sees it as a threat ..as any opposition to their goals is considered. We will see brute power unleashed to get their way. Will this be Hungary 1956 or Romania 1989? Watch for a combined Trudeau/Biden “solution”.
I am expecting an incompetently run Hungary 1956, followed by an economic shutdown on both sides of the border as supply chains collapse.
After that, it is in the hands of the gods.
Subotai Bahadur
Canadian flag is now replacing the confederate flag as a symbol of white supremacy.
And, to throw people off, whites, Sikhs, other Indians (both casino and C-store), and blacks are flying them.
yes- fringe splinter groups.
I down vote crowd missed the historic irony that any symbol or act of rebellion is labelled “white supremacy” in a heartbeat by the left.
Truckers could use the LGBTQ rainbow flag as the next symbol on the drive to DC on Monday morning and it’d be labelled as the long standing symbol of alt right KKK splinter groups by lunch.
I understand that some of the truckers are South Asian immigrant and First Nations…
I do not know of a single definition of fascism that doesn’t include the current Canadian government
“Our communities and automotive, manufacturing and agriculture businesses are feeling the effects,” she added. “It’s hitting paychecks and production lines. That is unacceptable.”
Dem politicians shut the entire country down needlessly for two years. But since it served the higher leftist purpose of indoctrinating the people to accept govt tyranny it was more than “acceptable” to them.
I bought a Canadian flag and am putting it up with “Honk, Honk for Freedom” sign
We are all Canadians now
Eh?
You hoser!
I want a fine croft dinner!
this is “Good trouble”
Let us not forget, this is the governor who wanted to shut down pipeline number five. That would have created economic chaos. She doesn’t mind when she’s starting it.
H’mmm. I wonder if my new truck is delayed?
I ordered me a nice Ram 1500 built how I wanted it.
For the record: I am willing to wait.
Yes, but are you also willing to pay 35% over the “agreed-on” price once it has arrived?
Two things to state- One: Who ever expected that in their lifetime they would see the Canadian flag usurping the American flag worldwide as a symbol of freedom? Certainly not me.
Two: The Ambassador Bridge is privately owned. This makes sending the military in to move trucks off it even more problematical. If the bridge owner isn’t asking for help the military of the US can’t move on it- such a move would violate all kinds of laws. And I suspect the same is true in Canada. IIRC, all the bridges from NY to Canada are operated by quasi-government bridge commissions but owned jointly by NY and a Canadian provincial government, or perhaps the Dominion of Canada. More freedom to act if the government owns the bridges.
And a link for live camera of traffic into the USA
https://www.ambassadorbridge.com/into-the-united-states/
Cue Major Bat Guano.
Yes. Shame on us for letting our freedom franchise lapse.
I’m old enough to remember when movements like this started here and were exported elsewhere.
I’m not belittling Canadians in the least. They took up the banner when we failed to.
Foreign protestors used to wave the Stars and Stripes at their forests demanding freedom.
Now it’s the Maple Leaf
Great article. Maybe next time, confirm what the Ambassador Bridge looks like for your obligatory article photo.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on Canada to take “all necessary and appropriate steps to immediately and safely reopen traffic so we can continue growing our economy, supporting good-paying jobs, and lowering costs for families.”
—————————-
If it hadn’t been for Michigan’s Supreme Court she’d still have Michigan locked down and not give a sciff about working families.
She “generously” took a 5% pay cut while everyone else was getting scalped by her mandates. And when the courts shut her down, she had her HHS director start issuing mandates until the courts shut that down.
Kamala grew up in Montreal, maybe she can be put in charge of the Northern border. She can’t do any worse than she’s done in the south.
I started to upvote, then remembered not to underestimate the ability of stupid people to mess things up!
Biden needs to send her to the northern border immediately.
I’m sure her favorite Antifa hoodie and mask will keep her toasty.
Isn’t Gretchen the name of the witch in Hansel and Gretel?