Thank you for that, Minister.
I too, at the time, was extremely concerned. At the time of invocation of the Emergencies Act, as I understand it—both at the time and from testimony at this committee—the blockade at the Coutts, Alberta, international border was ongoing and that the border would only reopen on February 15. The blockade at Emerson, Manitoba, was also ongoing and the border there would only open two days following the invocation of the Emergencies Act. In Surrey, B.C., it was the same thing. It would only open several days later. There was a continued threat of further blockades at the Windsor border, which, as you mentioned, Minister, affected about $400 million in trade each day.
I would like to hear you on the economic importance of this, not only for our country but also for workers. I have read a quote from Dave Cassidy, the president of Local 444 of the United Auto Workers, which represents workers at the factory in Windsor. He said:
Our whole economy…depends on that bridge being open
If these lines don't run and the workers are sent home, then these working families unfortunately become collateral damage to the protest that's going on at the bridge
Minister, can you speak to the importance of supporting our Canadian workers at this time?