Anti-Vaccine Mandate Protesters Block Vital U.S.-Canada Border Crossing For Second Straight Day

Topline

Truck drivers protesting Canada’s Covid-19 vaccine rules continued to partially block the busy Ambassador Bridge linking the United States and Canada for a second day Tuesday evening, an offshoot of the “Freedom Convoy” protests that have filled Ottawa’s streets for more than a week.

Key Facts

U.S.-bound traffic began flowing again at limited capacity Tuesday morning, according to the Windsor Police Department’s Twitter account.

The bridge is the U.S.-Canada border’s busiest crossing, accommodating about 25% of annual trade between the United States and Canada.

Tangent

Police have redirected commercial traffic to another U.S.-Canada bridge more than 50 miles northeast of Detroit. Delays for commercial traffic entering Canada via that crossing—which connects Port Huron, Michigan, and Sarnia, Ontario—stood at more than three hours Tuesday, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.

Key Background

The truckers began their protest two weeks ago with a cross-country drive from Vancouver to Canada’s capital city of Ottawa, where the convoy held a multi-day rally that forced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family to flee their downtown home. The rallies began as protests against Canada’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate for truck drivers crossing the U.S. border (Canadian officials are requiring unvaccinated truckers to quarantine for 14 days upon their return to the country). However, the protests have evolved into a revolt against Canadian Covid-19 health measures in general.

Surprising Fact

Some protestors at last week’s Ottawa rally were spotted waving flags with swastikas and desecrating city monuments.

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