Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he spoke to US President Donald Trump early Tuesday morning about the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, after Trump threatened to block its opening.Carney said he explained to Trump that Canadians paid for the bridge in full and that the Americans already have an ownership stake. He said the federal govt paid some $4 billion to build the Windsor-Detroit bridge and that it was built with Canadian and US workers and steel from both countries, despite what Carney described as the president’s bogus claims that there was “virtually no US content” used during construction, CBC reported.
While Trump said the federal government owns “both the Canada and the United States side,” the bridge was, in fact, publicly owned by both Canada and Michigan.The Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement, signed between the two jurisdictions in 2012, guarantees its joint, binational ownership despite Canada paying all upfront costs associated with construction.The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which will be responsible for operating the bridge, is a Canadian Crown corporation. The International Authority, which is composed of an equal number of representatives from Canada and Michigan, has oversight over the bridge.“This is a great example of co-operation between our countries. I look forward to its opening,” Carney told reporters on Parliament Hill on Tuesday morning.“What is particularly important, of course, is the commerce and the tourism and the voyages of Canadians and Americans that will go across that bridge.”Carney said the US ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, will “play a role in smoothing the conversation in and around the bridge.”“It was a positive conversation,” Carney said, adding he told Trump that Canada’s women’s hockey team will beat the Americans in their Olympic matchup today. “It’s a big game today and we’re going to win.”Carney said he also discussed issues around the Canada-US-Mexico agreement (CUSMA) with Trump on the call.
