Financial Associated Press (Shanghai, editor Xiaoxiang) news, local time on Wednesday, local time, connecting the Canadian City of Windsor and detroit between the United States between the cross-border bridge "Ambassador Bridge", is still blocked by protesters, which also means that this most important "artery" between the United States and Canada trade has been unable to pass normally for the third consecutive day. As the economic losses have become more severe over time, the US and Canadian governments and even the central bank have begun to focus on the serious consequences of this protest, and many car companies' factories in Canada have stopped production or are about to fall into shutdown.
Local real-time traffic broadcasts in Detroit showed hundreds of trucks remained congested on the highway leading to ambassador bridge, and "the entrance to canada at ambassador bridge is still closed." ”
The bridge is the main artery for the transportation of American Detroit automakers and agricultural products, accounting for about 25% of the trade between the United States and Canada. In the past, about 8,000 trucks would cross the bridge every day.
Since Monday night, Canadian truck drivers have blocked the bridge with "free motorcade" protests against the covid-19 pandemic injunction and other restrictions, and Canadian authorities have so far been helpless. Windsor Mayor Andrew Deakins said it was difficult for police to do more at the moment despite the fact that tickets had been issued to protesters.
WHITE HOUSE: The Canadian truck driver blockade poses a risk to supply chains and the automotive industry
The White House said Wednesday that the blockade by Canadian truck drivers poses a risk to the supply chain of the auto industry, and U.S. officials are in close contact with Canadian officials on the issue.
White House spokesman Psaki said Wednesday, "I think it's important for every Canadian and American to understand the impact (potential impact) of this road closure on workers, on supply chains, and that's our biggest concern." We're also watching for possible disruptions in U.S. agricultural exports from Michigan to Canada. ”
Psaki said White House Homeland Security advisers convened a meeting on wednesday on the issue, and officials were in close communication with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office and automakers. "We have taken some steps on our own initiative, she noted.
She also told reporters that washington was working with Canadian authorities to divert traffic to the Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron, Michigan, to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, for fears that the protests could turn into violence.
The Governor of the Bank of Canada warned that the bridge blockade could hit the Canadian economy
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem also called on Canadian authorities on Wednesday to resolve the issue quickly. He said the blockade of the Ambassadors Bridge was very worrying and could affect the country's economy.
"If key entry points into Canada are blocked for an extended period of time, it could begin to have a clear impact on economic activity," McClem noted. "Global supply chains are already strained. We don't want to make it worse. ”
McClem's remarks came at a time when it hinted at the central bank's path to raise interest rates this year. In his latest speech, he said it was time to raise interest rates from a state of emergency to curb inflation. Data from the interest rate futures market shows that traders are currently betting that the Bank of Canada is expected to raise interest rates more than six times before the end of the year.
Canada's Emergency Response Minister Bill Blair also said Wednesday that the protests had also disrupted work activities and "must end as soon as possible before further damage can occur".
Ford, Toyota and other car companies production affected
Among the supply chain disruptions triggered by this protest, the production of automobile manufacturers has undoubtedly been the most severely affected.
Toyota motor said thursday it expects its auto plant in Ontario, Canada, to shut down for the rest of the week due to supply chain problems caused by truck drivers' anti-vaccine demonstrations and other factors. Toyota produces the RAV4 model and its hybrid version at its plant in Ontario, as well as the Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h models.
The incident also affected production at some of The Canada's factories at Ford, the second-largest U.S. automaker. A Ford spokesperson said Wednesday, "While we are continuing to ship existing engine inventories to support our plant in the U.S., our plant in Ontario is reducing production schedules and our Windsor engine plant is closing." We hope that this situation can be resolved quickly, as it could have wide-ranging implications for all automakers in the United States and Canada. ”
Automaker Stellantis' assembly plant in Windsor, Ontario, is already facing a shortage of spare parts for the bridge closure. The company said it had to end its shift early on Tuesday, but the plant was able to resume production on Wednesday morning.
In addition, the General Motors assembly plant in Delta Township, Lansing, Michigan, has also asked night shift workers to stay home Wednesday night, according to local media reports. Erin Davis, GM's public relations representative, said: "We are working closely with our logistics suppliers to mitigate any potential impact on our production and operations."