Vaccine Mandates Impacting Economy

 Written by: Sam Deibert 

Vaccine Mandates Impacting Economy

Over the past week, truckers have begun what they call a “Freedom Convoy”, or a blockade located at the Canada-American border. There are three major blockage points, one in Montana, North Dakota, and most importantly, at America’s biggest tradepoint with Canada, Ambassador Bridge which links Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. These protests have lasted days, adding to existing supply chain issues. 

The protests were started by Canadian and American truckers in response to both countries mandating that truck drivers must be fully vaccinated to cross the border. In regard to policy, I feel as though these protester’s actions are justified. They should have the right to continue doing their job - which is almost solely independent - regardless of vaccination status. As someone who has received all of my vaccinations, I am not anti-vax. However, I strongly disagree with the perspective that everyone has to be vaccinated in order to work or receive medical treatment that is being pushed by some today. 

The industry that has been hit hardest because of this blockade is the automotive industry, stalling auto plants in Michigan, Ohio, Alabama, and West Virginia. This is largely due to bad timing, coming right after last year’s global computer chip shortage. Because of last year’s shortage, automotive manufacturers have already been running on very thin inventory. This meant that when their supply had been cut for nearly a week, they had to stop production in some cases. So, car prices have remained extremely high or have even climbed higher recently, because supply is significantly low. 

Even though I do think that the trucker’s actions have valid supporting reasons from a political point of view, when you look at it from an economical point of view it becomes much harder to support. Car manufacturers and other industries are being punished the most rather than the government, which ultimately impacts us as consumers. For that reason, I have mixed feelings about these protests. I do feel like they have gotten their message across, but it’s not worth sacrificing our economic production at a crucial time of recovery from the pandemic. 

Works Cited

Solman, Paul, and Ryan Connelly Holmes. “Canadian Trucker Blockades Impact Production on Both Sides of the Border.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 11 Feb. 2022, www.pbs.org/newshour/show/canadian-trucker-blockades-impact-production-on-both-sides-of-the-border.

Swanson, Ana, and Jack Ewing. “Auto Production Restarts after the Ambassador Bridge Is Cleared.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Feb. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/business/canada-protest-auto-supply-chain.html.