Canada excludes US from Gordie Howe bridge opening as Trump demands 50% profit share
Canada cancels joint opening of the Gordie Howe bridge with the US amid trade tensions, as Donald Trump announces a new profit-sharing arrangement.
Key Takeaways
AIUS President Donald Trump said that Canada has excluded the United States from the opening ceremony of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which connects Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario, via the highway.
Commenting on Truth Social, Trump said the decision was “fine, especially since they pay significant tariffs to the United States.”
However, Trump added that the original bridge agreement, negotiated by a previous administration (Joe Biden), was “very poorly done” and is “no longer in effect.”
He said he has decided to change the terms so that the United States will now receive 50% of the bridge’s profits.
Canada canceled plans for a joint ceremony with the United States to inaugurate the new bridge after Washington announced additional tariffs on Canadian products earlier this week.
Canadian Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson said in a statement, “In light of the trade actions threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a joint celebration between the two countries.”
Instead of the joint event originally scheduled for late July, Ottawa announced it will mark the achievement “among Canadians” with a private ceremony on July 24, with the bridge set to open to traffic on July 27.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge, named after the Canadian hockey legend and linking Ontario with Michigan, has been a source of dispute between the two countries for months amid ongoing trade tensions.
After President Trump threatened to block the bridge’s opening earlier this year, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in June that it would go ahead, before the date was postponed indefinitely due to “some technical issues” with the US side.