OTTAWA, Feb 10, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Canadian police threatened Wednesday to
arrest trucker-led protesters who have shut down central Ottawa and disrupted
cross-border trade in anger at Covid 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.

   Psaki also expressed concerns about the impacts of the protests on the US
economy, saying the action "poses a risk to supply chains, to the auto
industry."

   The Ambassador suspension bridge is a key trade corridor, with more than
40,000 commuters, tourists and trucks carrying US$323 million worth of goods
across the span each day.

   Several Canadian and American chambers of commerce and industry
associations, in a joint statement, demanded the bridge be cleared, saying,
"as our economies emerge from the impacts of the pandemic we cannot allow any
group to undermine the cross-border trade."

   Another trade link between Coutts, Alberta and Sweet Grass, Montana has
also been blocked by protesters for several days.

   - 'Freedom Convoy' -

   By Wednesday evening, the atmosphere on the streets of downtown Ottawa was
one of protest and celebration.

   "We're not going anywhere," said trucker John Deelstra, smiling from
behind the wheel of his big rig, which has been at the demonstration since
day one.

   Planted not far away, Ontario trucker Lloyd Brubacher offered up the same
steely resolve: "I'm not going anywhere," he told AFP, adding that he planned
"to fight to the bitter end."

   Some 400 vehicles are still camped on Parliament Hill below Trudeau's
offices, against a backdrop of barbecues, campfires and music.

   "This is a dramatic situation that is impacting the wellbeing of Canada's
relationship with the United States and impacts immensely how business is
able to conduct its operations," University of Ottawa professor Gilles
LeVasseur told AFP.

   The so-called "Freedom Convoy" began last month in western Canada --
launched in anger at requirements that truckers either be vaccinated, or test
and isolate, when crossing the US-Canada border.

   Having snowballed into an occupation of Canada's capital, the protest has
sparked solidarity rallies across the nation and abroad.

   On Wednesday, Ottawa police warned protesters they could face criminal
charges and their trucks could be seized if they continue their "unlawful"
clogging of downtown streets.

   Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association president Brian Kingston said
the Ambassador Bridge blockade was "threatening fragile supply chains already
under pressure due to pandemic-related shortages and backlogs."

   Officials pointed to 5,000 factory workers in Windsor, Ontario being sent
home early Tuesday because of the blockade, and several auto assembly plants
preparing to close, as Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens expressed fears about
lasting impacts on Canadian businesses.

   - 'Illegal economic blockade' -

   Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with Autotrader in Detroit, explained
that North American assembly plants rely on timely parts deliveries across
the bridge.

   The auto sector "is a significant portion of the economy and an important
portion of consumer spending" that has been hard hit over the past year, she
said.

   Canada's Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino warned of "serious dangers
for the economy" and called on protesters to "go home!"

   "This is an illegal economic blockade... against all Canadians," added
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.

   Several provinces including Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan this week
announced a gradual lifting or loosening of Covid-19 restrictions.

   A Canadian court on Monday ordered the truckers to stop incessant honking
that upset residents and made sleep difficult.

   But the noise is spreading: Similar movements have hatched everywhere from
New York to New Zealand.

   In France, thousands of protesters inspired by the Canadian truckers plan
to converge on Paris Friday evening, with some aiming to move onwards to
Brussels Monday.