White House reacts to Canada truckers' protest; Know why the US is worried

New Delhi: Reacting to the ongoing two weeks-long protests by the Canadian truckers in response to the Covid vaccine mandate by Justin Trudeau's government, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the US government is closely watching and monitoring the protests. 

Expressing concern over the agitation, which led to the blockade of borders and has affected trade between the US and Canada, Psaki, during the daily press briefing said, "the blockade poses a risk to supply chains for the auto industry because the bridge is a key conduit for motor vehicles, components, and parts; and delays risk disrupting auto production.” 

The White House also said that they are "tracking potential disruptions to US agricultural exports from Michigan into Canada". 

Why is the US worried? 

The protest staged by truckers in Canada on the pandemic mandate has resulted in the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge, which is Canada`s busiest link to the US accounting for roughly a quarter of trade between the two countries, reports Xinhua news agency. 

The US Department of Homeland Security has reportedly warned law enforcement across the country that similar protests could soon begin here. 

A bulletin issued on Tuesday by the Department to state and local officials said that the agency "has received reports of truck drivers planning to potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities in the US in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates for truck drivers". 

"While there are currently no indications of planned violence, if hundreds of trucks converge in a major metropolitan city, the potential exists to severely disrupt transportation, federal government operations, commercial facilities, and emergency services through gridlock and potential counter-protests,” said the department. 

Meanwhile, the ongoing protests in Ottawa have paralysed parts of the Canadian capital over the past two weeks, as truckers honked in anger over Covid-19 vaccine mandates. 

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency on Sunday, saying the situation was "completely out of control". 

(With inputs from IANS)