Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland grossly inflated estimates of the Freedom Convoy impact on the Canadian economy, internal documents show. Freeland cited figures described in one Department of Transport memo as an “extreme case” that did not reflect actual data..“The blockade of the Ambassador Bridge has affected about $390 million in trade each day,” Freeland told reporters last February 14. “This bridge supports 30% of all trade by road between Canada and the United States.”.“These costs are real,” said Freeland, who claimed protests were “making us all poorer.” Added Freeland: “They threaten businesses big and small and they threaten the livelihoods of Canadian workers.”.Truckers protesting vaccine mandates blocked the Windsor, Ontario, crossing to Detroit for six days from February 8 to 13. Police cleared the Ambassador Bridge prior to cabinet’s invocation of the Emergencies Act after Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened truckers with $100,000 fines..The Department of Transport in a February 11 memo said claimed impacts of “around $390 million of trade per day” represented an averaging of commercial shipments the previous year, not actual losses due to closure. “It handled over $140 billion in merchandise trade in 2021, approximately $390 million each day,” said the memo..Actual losses due to the Bridge closure were no more than $45 million per day. “This scenario assumes the automotive sector shuts down,” wrote staff. It did not..An “extreme case” put losses at $161 million per day, less than half the figure cited by Freeland. “This scenario assumes the disruption of imports and exports crossing the Ambassador Bridge leads to widespread shutdowns and production outages across the Canadian economy,” said the memo. The scenario never occurred..“It is estimated that the cost to the Canadian economy of a full shutdown of the Bridge would likely be in the range of $45 million per day over the first week based on current mitigation efforts put in place by shippers and available alternative options,” said Economic Impact. Commercial shippers that normally used the Ambassador Bridge diverted trucks to border crossings at Sarnia, Fort Erie and Queenston, Ontario, it said..A separate federal memo noted a compensation fund that offered $10,000 grants to Windsor businesses claiming losses from the Bridge blockade was under-subscribed. Cabinet budgeted $2.5 million to compensate 240 business owners. Only 60 applied for total payments of $462,469..Freeland repeatedly pointed to catastrophic economic losses as justification for invoking the Emergencies Act last February 14. “What we are facing today is a threat to our democratic institutions, to our economy and to peace, order and good government in Canada,” said Freeland. “This is unacceptable. It cannot stand and it will not stand.”.Freeland in June 14 testimony at the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency would not detail economic losses she attributed to political protesters. “Do you have figures when it comes to giving us data on the economic impact?” asked Senator Claude Carignan (Que.). “I have many figures in my head,” replied Freeland..“What was it specifically?” asked New Democrat MP Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre, Ont.). “Can you quantify it?”.“I had many conversations with Canadian business leaders,” said Minister Freeland. “That’s not good enough,” replied Green..“I need to know the government had within your department facts that would meet the economic impact of the occupation to be significant enough to meet the threshold of a threat to national security,” said Green.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland grossly inflated estimates of the Freedom Convoy impact on the Canadian economy, internal documents show. Freeland cited figures described in one Department of Transport memo as an “extreme case” that did not reflect actual data..“The blockade of the Ambassador Bridge has affected about $390 million in trade each day,” Freeland told reporters last February 14. “This bridge supports 30% of all trade by road between Canada and the United States.”.“These costs are real,” said Freeland, who claimed protests were “making us all poorer.” Added Freeland: “They threaten businesses big and small and they threaten the livelihoods of Canadian workers.”.Truckers protesting vaccine mandates blocked the Windsor, Ontario, crossing to Detroit for six days from February 8 to 13. Police cleared the Ambassador Bridge prior to cabinet’s invocation of the Emergencies Act after Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened truckers with $100,000 fines..The Department of Transport in a February 11 memo said claimed impacts of “around $390 million of trade per day” represented an averaging of commercial shipments the previous year, not actual losses due to closure. “It handled over $140 billion in merchandise trade in 2021, approximately $390 million each day,” said the memo..Actual losses due to the Bridge closure were no more than $45 million per day. “This scenario assumes the automotive sector shuts down,” wrote staff. It did not..An “extreme case” put losses at $161 million per day, less than half the figure cited by Freeland. “This scenario assumes the disruption of imports and exports crossing the Ambassador Bridge leads to widespread shutdowns and production outages across the Canadian economy,” said the memo. The scenario never occurred..“It is estimated that the cost to the Canadian economy of a full shutdown of the Bridge would likely be in the range of $45 million per day over the first week based on current mitigation efforts put in place by shippers and available alternative options,” said Economic Impact. Commercial shippers that normally used the Ambassador Bridge diverted trucks to border crossings at Sarnia, Fort Erie and Queenston, Ontario, it said..A separate federal memo noted a compensation fund that offered $10,000 grants to Windsor businesses claiming losses from the Bridge blockade was under-subscribed. Cabinet budgeted $2.5 million to compensate 240 business owners. Only 60 applied for total payments of $462,469..Freeland repeatedly pointed to catastrophic economic losses as justification for invoking the Emergencies Act last February 14. “What we are facing today is a threat to our democratic institutions, to our economy and to peace, order and good government in Canada,” said Freeland. “This is unacceptable. It cannot stand and it will not stand.”.Freeland in June 14 testimony at the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency would not detail economic losses she attributed to political protesters. “Do you have figures when it comes to giving us data on the economic impact?” asked Senator Claude Carignan (Que.). “I have many figures in my head,” replied Freeland..“What was it specifically?” asked New Democrat MP Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre, Ont.). “Can you quantify it?”.“I had many conversations with Canadian business leaders,” said Minister Freeland. “That’s not good enough,” replied Green..“I need to know the government had within your department facts that would meet the economic impact of the occupation to be significant enough to meet the threshold of a threat to national security,” said Green.
