Reacting to truck blockades in Ottawa and at the U.S. border, Ontario Premier Doug Ford today declared a state of emergency.

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.

The move came after the Biden administration on Thursday urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government to use its federal powers to end the truck blockade by Canadians protesting the country's COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Scores of truckers, part of the Freedom Convoy, since Monday have been blocking the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, disrupting the auto industry on both sides of the border.

The Freedom Convoy left Canada's westernmost province, British Columbia, on Jan. 23 and arrived Jan. 29 in Ottawa, where protesters said they will remain until the COVID vaccine mandates are lifted.