Biden concerned about the impact of protests in Canada on the U.S. economy

U.S. President Joe Biden is concerned about the impact of the protests in Canada on the U.S. economy. This is stated in a written statement released by the White House press office following a telephone conversation between Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The president expressed his concern that U.S. companies and workers are facing serious impacts from protests in Canada, including slowing production, reduced work hours and business closures.

Biden and Trudeau “agreed that the actions of those obstructing transportation and trade between the two countries have a significant direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of citizens” of the United States and Canada. “The Prime Minister promised to take swift action to ensure that protesters obey the law, and the President thanked him for the steps he and the Canadian government are taking to restore bridge travel to the United States.

Biden and Trudeau agreed to remain in close contact in the coming days “to ensure the restoration of free vehicular traffic” between the United States and Canada.

Large-scale protests are taking place in Canada against health restrictions imposed because of the pandemic. These actions were initiated by local heavy-duty truck drivers. The first of them began in Ottawa on January 29 and are still going on. The protesters demanded from the federal and regional authorities to lift all restrictions. Similar actions last weekend were held in Toronto, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver.

The Canadian-American border at a checkpoint between the province of Alberta and the state of Montana has been blocked since late January. On Monday, truck drivers blocked traffic on the Ambassador Bridge, which carries up to 25 percent of all cargo from the United States to Canada. About $315 million worth of goods are moved across it each day.