Canada Delays US Dignitaries' Attendance at Gordie Howe Bridge Opening Amid Trade Tensions
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Canada will hold a solo ceremony for the Gordie Howe International Bridge after the United States was disinvited following President Trump's tariff threat, prompting a new revenue-sharing agreement with Michigan.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario is set to open after eight years of construction, but the inauguration will be held without U.S. officials. Canadian authorities announced on Friday that they have disinvited American dignitaries after President Donald Trump threatened additional tariffs on Canadian goods.
The $6.4 billion structure, jointly owned by Ottawa and the state of Michigan, is expected to facilitate more than C$1 billion in daily trade across the border. Canada originally financed the project to overcome U.S. political opposition and agreed to share toll revenues with Michigan once construction costs were recovered.
Earlier this year, President Trump said the bridge could not open until Canada agreed to “share authority” and ownership, suggesting the United States should own at least half of the asset. In response, Canada delayed the opening to allow further negotiations and accepted a deal to split half of the bridge’s revenues for the next 15 years with a U.S.-controlled economic development fund.
"We should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset," Trump said.
"We’re dealing with an administration like we’ve never seen before. They renege on deals. They don’t follow agreements," former diplomat Colin Robertson told the BBC.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford praised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s handling of the agreement, while some Canadian officials expressed concern about further concessions to the Trump administration. The bridge, named after hockey legend Gordie Howe, is viewed as critical to maintaining supply-chain flows between the two countries.
"This new state-of-the-art bridge was done at a great expense, and yes we paid, but it is necessary to keep supply chains intact," Robertson added.
The ceremony will proceed with Canadian officials only, as Ottawa seeks to balance the bridge’s economic importance with broader trade negotiations with the United States.