Protests on the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ont. to Detroit is leaving economists speculating about the potential impact on economic growth, with many saying the size of the impact depends on how long the blockade lasts.

With a global supply chain that’s already suffering from bottlenecks and the potential to put further upward pressure on inflation, the blockades, which originated in downtown Ottawa last week, are adding another layer of uncertainty to economic forecasts as Canada begins to emerge from the pandemic.

During a media availability on Wednesday, Tiff Macklem, governor of the Bank of Canada, said the blockages could have “a measurable impact on economic activity in Canada” if the disruption is not resolved soon.

Here’s what three Canadian economists have to say about it.

Avery Shenfeld, chief economist, CIBC Capital Markets

“The sheer scale of trade that crosses between Windsor and Detroit makes it unlikely that Canadian police and governments will be as tolerant of an extended disruption at the border as they have been about the protest in Ottawa, although even that situation has dealt an economic cost to the city. Production delayed for a few days due to the border closure could be offset by catch-up activity later, but that [particular] crossing has limited capacity, and we would lose economic activity outright if this situation is allowed to fester.”

Jean-François Perrault, chief economist, Scotiabank

“We haven’t come up with an estimate of the impact, but there will clearly be a negative impact. The longer this lasts, the worse it will be, but at the same time I would expect much of the lost activity would be made up when the backlog of trucks trying to bring things to their destination clears.”

Douglas Porter, chief economist, Bank of Montreal

“If the situation is resolved relatively quickly, the auto industry is one sector that can make up for lost time, and the damage could be unwound in the weeks ahead. Perhaps at least as important, is the potential implication for near-term inflation pressures from this new supply chain kink. With inflation risk already quite pronounced, the last thing we need is another pressure point, notably on food prices. And at the least, this will add to the costs of delivering fresh produce to Canadians.”