Canadian govt ministers label bridge blockade from COVID protests as 'illegal'

A young child looks at posters in support of the truckers, as truckers and supporters continue to protest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 9, 2022. REUTERS/Lars Hagberg

Canadian federal ministers labeled the protests and blockade at the vital Ambassador Bridge linking Canada and the United States as "unlawful" and "illegal," urging demonstrators to bring the blockade to an end.

The protests were disrupting jobs and the economy's supply chain and "must end before further damage occurs," Canada's Emergency Preparedness Minister, Bill Blair, told reporters in a press briefing on Wednesday.

Similar sentiments were also echoed by Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.

People carry gas canisters at the Coventry road staging ground, as truckers and supporters continue to protest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 9, 2022. REUTERS/Lars Hagberg

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese)