As protests continue in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, over vaccine and mask mandates, some in the U.S. are starting to suffer. The effects of the trucker-led demonstrations have begun affecting car manufacturing in Michigan.
On Monday, protesters began putting up blockades that stop travel on two bridges that link Ontario and Michigan. The demonstrations are having serious ramifications with thousands of trucks using the Blue Water and Ambassador bridges every day, many of which carry automotive parts and finished vehicles.
However, the bridges have barely served any trucks this week, with traffic on the Ambassador bridge coming to a halt and delays of up to 4½ hours being reported on the Blue Water Bridge.
Car manufacturers are now beginning to worry as they have already been walloped by supply chain issues stopping them from producing at pre-pandemic levels.
A Chrysler Pacifica minivan plant was forced to halt its production on Wednesday as they did not have enough parts, NBC News reported. Ford was also forced to respond to the part shortages, becoming the second manufacturer to halt production.
Related
“While we continue to ship our current engine inventory to support our U.S. plants, we are running our plants at a reduced schedule today in Oakville [Ontario] and our Windsor engine plant is down,” Ford said in a statement.
General Motors became the third victim of the blockades, as late Wednesday, it cut the second shift at its Lansing, Michigan plant, where the company produces SUVS for Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC Brands. Across the border in Ontario, three Toyota plants were shut down, citing the same reasons.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has criticized the protests saying that those participating are “trying to blockade our economy, our democracy and our fellow citizens’ daily lives.”
“It has to stop,” Trudeau said.
However, the demonstrations have not stopped, as protesters continue to block bridges which could result in other automakers, domestic and foreign, announcing shutdowns to assembly plants within two hours of the bridges.
Related
