Horn-blaring demonstrations demanding an end to Canadian COVID-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers have caused gridlock in the capital Ottawa since late January.

Over the last two weeks, the demonstrations have morphed into a wider protest against COVID restrictions and the Canadian government. They have spread globally, with copycat protests springing up in Australia, New Zealand and France, while truckers in the United States have said they are planning similar demonstrations.

The White House warned on Feb. 9 that protesters blocking the border crossings risk hurting the auto industry.

Canada sends 75% of its goods exports to the United States. The Ambassador Bridge, a key supply route for the U.S. auto industry in Detroit, has been shut for inbound Canada traffic since the night of Feb. 7. The bridge usually handles 8,000 trucks a day, representing a quarter of all cross-border trade, or about C$500 million ($393.6 million) per day.

At Coutts, Alberta, protesters have disrupted cross-border traffic for more than a week. The Coutts crossing sees C$44 million per day in two-way trade, said David MacLean, vice-president of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.

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.

A recent poll found 62% of Canadians surveyed oppose the “Freedom Convoy.” Canadians have largely followed the government's health measures and nearly 79% of the eligible population has taken two doses of the vaccine.

But sentiment ranges widely, as it does about government response to COVID-19 itself. Some Canadians support the protests, saying they are tired of government over-reach, while others are alarmed that police have been unwilling or unable to end unlawful blockades.

Protesters say they are peaceful but some waved Confederate flags and were reported to have swastikas in the occupation's early days. Some Ottawa residents say they were harassed.

Police have generally avoided mass arrests and aggressive efforts to clear blockades, and Alberta police said they were unable to find local tow-truck operators willing to assist them.