U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to bar the new $4.7 billion bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario from opening, in his latest salvo against Canada over trade issues. Trump cited Canada’s ownership of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, its refusal to stock some U.S. alcoholic beverages on Canadian store shelves, Canada’s tariffs on dairy products and its trade talks with China.
The bridge was financed by Canada because the U.S. refused to pay for it and is set to open in the coming months. The costs will be financed by tolls over 30 years. “I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” Trump said on social media. “We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset.”
In 2012, Michigan’s then-Governor Rick Snyder accepted a Canadian government offer to fund most of the new Gordie Howe bridge’s costs and took the unusual step of using executive authority to bypass the legislature. Construction began in 2018 and the bridge is nearing completion. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on January 30 published a rule declaring the bridge to be an official port of entry and says the bridge will save $12.7 million annually for travelers by reducing congestion and travel time while easing traffic flows. The Canadian Embassy in Washington and the bridge authority did not immediately comment.
