Ontario’s premier declared a state of emergency on Friday in reaction to the truck blockades in Ottawa and at the US border and said he will urgently press for new legislation cracking down on those who interfere with the free flow of goods and people.

Since Monday, scores of truck drivers protesting Canada’s Covid-19 restrictions and railing against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have bottled up the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor to Detroit. And hundreds of others have paralysed downtown Ottawa over the past two weeks.

Premier Doug Ford said he will convene the provincial cabinet on Saturday to enact orders that make it “crystal clear” it is illegal to block critical infrastructure.

“We are now two weeks into the siege of Ottawa,” Ford said. “It’s an illegal occupation. It’s no longer a protest.”

Separately, the mayor of Windsor planned to ask for an injunction to try to break up the bridge blockade, as parts shortages caused by the protest rippled through the auto industry on both sides of the US-Canadian border.

Federal, provincial and local authorities have hesitated to forcibly remove the self-proclaimed Freedom Convoy protesters there and elsewhere around the country, reflecting apparently a lack of manpower by local police, Canada’s reverence for free speech, and fear of a violent backlash. Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens warned this week that some of the truckers are “willing to die”.