Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden spoke on Friday and Trudeau promised to take "quick action" to end the blockade at the major border crossing at the Ambassador Bridge, the White House said.
Biden is concerned that the blockade at the bridge, which is the main artery of Canadian-American trade, is hurting the US economy and in particular the auto industry.
At a press conference, Trudeau acknowledged discussing the situation with Biden, but stopped short of outlining any specific plans to clear protesters away from the Ambassador Bridge that links Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan. Hundreds of millions of dollars in goods are shipped by truck between the two countries every day via the bridge, including auto parts.
Trudeau said the bridge blockade was "endangering jobs (and) impacting trade" in Canada as well. "These blockades cannot continue. You (protesters) are breaking laws."
But while Trudeau said hundreds of Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other law enforcement officers had been sent into Ottawa, where occupation of the downtown has held the city "hostage" for almost two weeks, he failed to specify what other support had been given to cities and provinces experiencing similar blockades.
The prime minister did warn that if protesters continued to disrupt businesses, trade and the lives of citizens, they could be charged and that could lead to a criminal record. He also spoke of revoking commercial licenses for truckers involved in the blockages. But Trudeau added he wanted to avoid a more hands-on police action.
"We are concerned about violence," he said, asking that protesters realize they must stop. "Return to your communities now. These blockades cannot continue."
One reporter asked if Trudeau was prepared to send in the army to remove the blockades.
Trudeau said all options are on the table but he hoped protesters would disperse on their own. He said the deployment of the army against Canadian citizens was a "last resort."
"We are not there yet," Trudeau said. "Far from it."
