Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has confirmed that the Gordie Howe International Bridge — a new six-lane thoroughfare that will connect Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario — will open by the end of the week.
The announcement comes despite threats to the contrary from United States President Donald Trump, who promised earlier this year that the bridge would not open without concessions from Canada.
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Speaking briefly to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Carney dodged questions about any behind-the-scenes negotiations with Trump. Instead, he focused on praising the bridge as a feat of cross-border collaboration.
“It’s positive news. Obviously, the bridge will be open at the end of the week,” Carney said, calling the bridge a “symbol but also a fact of cooperation between” the US and Canada.
“It’s great for Canadians going across the border, Americans coming across the border, and for commerce. And I just want to salute those who constructed it on both sides, and looking forward to getting it done.”
But the bridge’s fate was thrown into doubt in February, after Trump published a social media message framing the construction as a means of exploiting the US.
His remarks echoed criticisms raised by the Moroun family, who own the nearby Ambassador Bridge, another artery connecting the US and Canada.
The family has denounced the Gordie Howe Bridge as unfair competition, and it has sued to stop the project.
It also led an advertising campaign during Trump’s first term to kill the bridge, framing the structure as un-American.
Unlike the Ambassador Bridge, which is privately held, the Gordie Howe Bridge is slated to be co-owned by the governments of Canada and Michigan.
In February’s social media post, however, Trump falsely depicted the construction project as a Canadian-only enterprise.
“Imagine, Canada is building a massive bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They own both the Canada and the United States side,” Trump wrote.
“Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!’ What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING!”
Trump proceeded to threaten to block the completion of the bridge, which was in its final stages. He added that Canada should give the US government “at least one half of this asset”.
“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.
The threat caused yet another spike in US-Canada tensions. Since taking office for a second term, Trump has repeatedly berated Canada for what he calls unfair trade practices, and he has pressured the country to cede its sovereignty to the US.
That pressure continued into this month, with Trump reiterating his call for Canada to become the US’s “51st state” in a June 1 post on Truth Social.
Traditionally, Canada and the US have had close relations, and their two economies are bound tightly together.
As of 2024, Canada was the largest destination for US exports. Trade between the two countries that year was estimated to top $909.1bn, according to the US government. And nearly half of Canada’s goods reportedly came from its southern neighbour.
But shortly after his second inauguration, Trump ignited a trade war by imposing steep tariffs on Canada, which he criticised for allegedly having a lax border policy. Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs, some of which have since been repealed — but others remain.
Trump’s far-reaching global tariff campaign has hit multiple setbacks in US courts, but his administration has continued to forge ahead, looking for different legal arguments to justify the import taxes.
Most recently, the Trump administration has proposed using the Trade Act of 1974 to impose tariffs on 60 countries it accuses of relying on forced labour. Canada is among that number.
Carney has responded to the fraying relations between the US and Canada by calling for a coalition of “middle powers” to stand up to the “great powers” of the world.
Canada, Mexico and the US are currently in the middle of renegotiating a free trade agreement struck during Trump’s first term in 2020.
Before it became a political football, the Gordie Howe Bridge had been held up as a symbol of cross-border partnership.
The agreement to start the project was reached in 2012, and in 2017, Trump issued a joint statement with then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying he looked forward to its “expeditious completion”.
The project has cost roughly $6.4bn, and the construction, which began in 2018, took roughly seven years.
Named for a celebrated Canadian hockey player who spent many years playing for the professional team in Detroit, the Gordie Howe Bridge is designed to ease supply chains, reduce traffic and increase trade between the US and Canada.