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Prime Minister Mark Carney said he “explained” to U.S. President Donald Trump that while Canada paid for the Gordie Howe International Bridge that Trump is threatening to bar from opening, its ownership is shared and construction involved U.S. steel and workers.
“We discussed the bridge. I explained that Canada paid for the construction of the bridge — $4 billion — that the ownership is shared between the state of Michigan and the Government of Canada,” Carney told reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting Tuesday.
Carney said he had a “positive conversation” with Trump.
Carney’s comments came after Trump said Monday he will block the opening of the new bridge and trade route connecting Ontario and Michigan until the United States is “compensated for everything we have given” Canada.
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social website, Trump called for immediate negotiations over the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, Mich., saying he would seek U.S. ownership of “at least one half of this asset.”
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Carney said U.S. content and workers were used in the making of the bridge.
“In the construction of the bridge — obviously there’s Canadian steel and workers — but also U.S. steel and U.S. workers were involved. This is a great example of co-operation between our countries. We look forward to it opening,” he said.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the bridge would be good for jobs in her state.
“This is the busiest trade crossing in North America. The Gordie Howe International Bridge is all about jobs. It’s good for Michigan workers and it’s good for Michigan’s auto industry,” she said in a statement, adding that union construction workers from both sides of the border were involved in construction and that the bridge will be operated under a joint ownership agreement between Michigan and Canada.
“This project has been a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation. It’s going to open one way or another, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon cutting,” Whitmer added.
Industry Minister Melanie Joly said Canada was taking Trump’s concerns seriously and that she was confident the two sides would be able to work through this.
“When President Trump talks, we listen,” Joly said Tuesday.
“I’m convinced that we will be able to work this through.”
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said Trump’s move to block the bridge would be “a self-defeating move.”
“The Trump administration was right in 2017 in its joint statement that endorsed the bridge as a priority project, calling it a ‘vital economic link between our two countries.’ Modern border infrastructure strengthens shared economic security. The path forward isn’t deconstructing established trade corridors, it’s actually building bridges,” said Candaice Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
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