U.S. urges Canada to use federal powers to ease border protest disruption

Trucks are backed up after protestors shut down the last entrance to the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, as the protest against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates continues, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada February 9, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio

WINDSOR, Ontario/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Canada should use federal powers to ease the growing economic disruption caused by the blockage of a vital U.S.-Canada trade route by protesters opposed to coronavirus mandates, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration said on Thursday.

The closure of the Ambassador Bridge, North America's busiest international land border crossing and a vital supply route for Detroit's carmakers, has halted some auto output and left officials scrambling to limit economic damage.