Canadian truck drivers riot, supply chain problems continue to worsen!

The vaccine restrictions introduced by the Canadian government last month have caused dissatisfaction among a large number of Canadian truck drivers, leading to large-scale protests.

The main content of this vaccine restriction order is to fight the epidemic. Non-Canadian truck drivers without vaccination certificates are not allowed to enter the country; Canadian drivers can return to the country, but will be required to be quarantined for 14 days.

According to the Canadian Trucking Association ( CTA), the restrictions will likely reduce the number of drivers engaged in cross-border transport by about 10%, equivalent to 16,000 people. The alliance estimates that after the policy takes effect, about 10%-20% of domestic truck drivers will be forced to leave, further increasing the pressure and impact on the supply chain.

Many truck drivers are also afraid that the epidemic prevention policy will affect their jobs, so they choose to join this protest.

According to the latest reports from Canadian media, protesters who had previously held protests in Toronto have moved to the capital Ottawa since local time on the 5th. The Ottawa City Government announced on the 6th that the city has entered a state of emergency.

Before the state of emergency, Ottawa was already "not peaceful": a large number of trucks, pickup trucks, and RVs blocked the streets of the capital; horns and firecrackers were blasted one after another; many protesters and citizens simply lived in tents, barbecued and drank on the streets... This also had a huge impact on local businesses. Due to the unrest, businesses had to stop operating.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Small and Medium Businesses ( CFIB) called on the government to cancel the border vaccine mandate for truck drivers. The president said that small and medium-sized businesses are already facing major supply chain shortages, and everything is rising in price. The vaccine mandate has made the situation even worse. If this continues, small and medium-sized businesses will have "nowhere to go."

CFIB also stated that freight is one of the industries with the most serious labor shortage. According to the latest survey, 68% of freight companies are underemployed. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce ( CCC) and the Canadian Manufacturing Confederation (CMC) believe that the vaccine mandate will only exacerbate the supply chain problems.

In addition to the supply chain, inflation is also a big problem. According to Reuters, economist Jimmy Jean commented on the truck driver vaccination order, saying that this could trigger price increases and ultimately prompt the central bank to raise interest rates faster than expected.

In addition, winter is the time when a large amount of fresh food needs to be imported, and the truck drivers' protests will have a great impact on the prices of related commodities and groceries.

Canada

Supply Chain

Trucker Riots