OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney predicted that Donald Trump’s latest threat to refuse to open the new Canadian-built cross-border bridge at Windsor will be resolved after the two men spoke Tuesday morning.
Carney said in French the “situation” will be “settled” after he explained to Trump “firstly” that Canada paid for what the prime minister said was the $4-billion construction cost of the Gordie Howe International Bridge that crosses to Detroit. (The bridge’s latest estimated cost is $6.4 billion). And Carney said “secondly,” he explained to Trump that it is a shared asset between Michigan and Canada.
“The ownership is shared between the state of Michigan, and the government of Canada, and that U.S. workers and steel went into the bridge as well as Canadian steel and labour.”
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
“This a great example of co-operation between the countries,” said Carney. “(I) Look forward to it opening. And what is particularly important, of course, is the commerce, and the tourism” that will flow across the border both ways.
Carney declined to go into other issues he said the president and he discussed which were “specific” to the negotiations around whether to renew the continental free trade pact.
Trump in his Monday social media post once again complained about Canada’s deal with China, about Ontario having pulled U.S. alcohol from its provincially controlled liquor stores, and about Canadian unfair trade practices in the dairy sector.
Trump said the U.S. must be “compensated” and that he would immediately begin “negotiations” although it was not clear which negotiations he was referencing.
Carney said the two spoke initially about the “big game” Tuesday between Canada and the U.S. women’s hockey teams at the Milano Cortina Olympics and predicted Canada would win, “I hope,’ he added.
He said they discussed other international issues before they talked about Trump’s late-day bridge threat issued via Truth Social post Monday.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Earlier, other ministers, too, had low-key reactions to Trump.
Industry Minister Melanie Joly said the government takes what the president says “seriously,” adding “but also we’ve been able, as a government to, deal with the changes.”
Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon set out the same considerations that should persuade the Americans not to follow through on Trump’s threat, saying Canadian and American workers and materials went into the bridge and that it has been a priority of federal governments since Paul Martin.
It was former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper who named it the Gordie Howe International Bridge as a symbol of cross-border alliance and friendship.
“That bridge will stand for over a century as a monument to Canadian and American friendship, ingenuity, work and partnership,” said MacKinnon. “I don’t know what motivated that statement, but I do know that bridge will stand the test of time.”
— With files from Ryan Tumilty and Alex Ballingall
Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening
Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request.
There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again.
Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up This newsletter is only available for subscribers. If you are already a subscriber, please login now. If you want to become subscriber, please click here Yes, I’d also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star.
You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply.
Politics Headlines Newsletter You’re signed up! You’ll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon.
Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
