Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Friday that he would impose a “state of emergency” in response to the two-week-old “Freedom Convoy” protests that would, he hoped, end blockades in major cities and on international border crossings.

Ford also reportedly told journalists that he would soon entirely do away with the vaccine mandate system, a core demand of the protesters, and “all restrictions on businesses.”

Ford’s announcement followed a report by Canada’s Rebel News on Thursday claiming that Ford was preparing to abandon the province’s vaccine mandate, which had initially prompted the trucker-led protest. In addition to the large, flagship protest in Ottawa, truckers had moved to blockade Ambassador Bridge, the largest crossing between Canada and America, this week.