The White House said on Wednesday that Canada's "Free Fleet" protests pose a risk to the supply chain of the auto manufacturing industry, and U.S. officials are in close contact with Canadian officials on the issue, the comprehensive Reuters and NpR reported.
Protests led to the closure of the "Ambassador Bridge" Image source: People's Vision
This wave of protests in Canada began in January, when tens of thousands of truck drivers and other demonstrators gathered in Ottawa to strongly oppose Canada's demand that cross-border truck drivers must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The protests also caused traffic jams or disruptions to the Ambassador Bridge, a cross-border bridge connecting Detroit in the United States and Windsor in Canada. The bridge is the busiest bridge between the United States and Canada, used to transport vehicles, spare parts and agricultural products, and accounts for about 25% of the total trade in goods between the two countries.
Chrysler's parent company, Stellantis, said supply disruptions had led to a shortage of spare parts and the windsor-based assembly plant had to shorten the shifts for the first and second shifts on Tuesday. The company said in a statement: "The plant resumed production this morning. We will continue to work closely with airlines to bring parts into the factory to alleviate further disruptions. ”
Psaki said white house homeland security advisers convened a meeting on wednesday on the issue, and officials were consulting with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office and major automakers.
A GM spokesman said Thursday that its Detroit plant has not yet encountered any related issues but is watching the situation.
Toyota said its Canadian plant, which was affected by the bridge closure, was expected to be disrupted "throughout the week." The company noted that other supply chain issues, bad weather and "COVID-19-related challenges" have also hampered production activity in North America.
Automakers warn that a prolonged closure of the bridge could have broader consequences. That's because the North American auto industry relies on a complex network of suppliers, with some parts crossing national borders multiple times before being installed on the car.
"The situation at the Ambassador Bridge, coupled with an already fragile supply chain, will create further difficulties for people and industries still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Jodi Tinson, a spokeswoman for Stellantis. ”
A Ford spokeswoman said the closure of the bridge "hurts users, auto workers, suppliers, communities and companies in both countries, and has experienced two years of shortages of spare parts on both sides of the border due to insufficient global semiconductor supplies, the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons", and she called for the situation to be resolved as soon as possible.
Brian Kingston, chief executive of the Canadian Automobile Manufacturers Association, said bluntly: "It is time for our governments at all levels to enforce the law, end blockages and resume cross-border trade." ”
(Editor: ZLQ)