Coronavirus: Canada PM Justin Trudeau slams trucker protests, as police threaten arrests
- More supporters have joined a blockade at a major border crossing with the US to rally against Covid-19 rules
- The White House expressed concern over the impact of the disruption, saying it poses risks to supply chains and the car industry
Canadian police threatened on Wednesday to arrest trucker-led protesters who have shut down central Ottawa and disrupted cross-border trade in anger at Covid-19 health rules, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lambasted the movement as “unacceptable”.
With more people joining the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and the US city of Detroit in solidarity with the two-week long truckers protest in the Canadian capital, Trudeau warned the action threatens the country’s economic recovery.
“Blockades, illegal demonstrations are unacceptable, and are negatively impacting businesses and manufacturers,” Trudeau said in the House of Commons. “We must do everything to bring them to an end.”
To the protesters, he said, “You can’t end a pandemic with blockades … You need to end it with science. You need to end it with public health measures.”
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said US officials were “in very close contact” with Canadian border agencies about the bridge blockade.