State of emergency, threat of repression … Justin Trudeau wants to unblock the situation in Canada, where a demonstration against health measures is paralyzing part of the country.
“All options are on the table”: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised on Friday on the eve of a new major mobilization that the borders would “not remain blocked” by convoys of anti-sanitary measures protesters, but without giving an ultimatum.
Washington had put the head of government under pressure Thursday by asking him to use “federal powers” in particular to resolve the blocking of the Ambassador Bridge which connects Ontario and the American city of Detroit to the United States, an essential commercial axis. A concern that US President Joe Biden expressed directly on Friday, during a phone call with the Canadian Prime Minister, referring to “the serious consequences” of the blockage for the US economy.
A few hours later, a court ordered the lifting of this blockade, which could facilitate the intervention of the police.
“The consequences are more and more serious”
Justin Trudeau spoke directly to Canadians on Friday: “the borders cannot and will not remain blocked” he declared, but without providing a solution to quickly get out of the crisis. Indeed if “all the options are on the table”, the Prime Minister is not ready to deploy the army immediately “a solution of last, last resort”.
He claimed, however, that the police crackdown would intensify: “If you join the protests because you are tired of Covid, you must now understand that you are breaking the laws. The consequences are more and more serious”.
Future economic repercussions
On Friday morning, the Prime Minister of Ontario, the province where the Ambassador Bridge is located but also the federal capital Ottawa, declared a state of emergency. “We will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure the border is reopened. And to the beleaguered residents of Ottawa, I say to them, we are going to make sure you can get back to normal life as soon as possible,” said Doug Ford, during of a press conference.
The closure since Monday of the Ambassador Bridge had raised the tension in the country due to the rapid economic repercussions, in particular on the automobile industry on both sides of the border, which made the United States react. More than 25% of goods exported between the United States and Canada pass through it. Two other border axes are also blocked: the first, at Emerson, connects the province of Manitoba to North Dakota, while the second is located in Alberta.
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