Canada quietly inaugurated a border bridge with the United States on Friday after canceling a joint ceremony this week after the United States announced new tariffs on several Canadian products.
“This bridge is a testament to what we can build when we work together,” Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson said during a ceremony on the Canadian side of the bridge, which opened to traffic on Monday.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said of the U.S.-Canada relationship: “Our relationship has been challenged over the past few years,” but added: “Let us continue to work together.”
US President Donald Trump marked the occasion with social media posts and a combative tone.
“Canada has rescinded its invitation to the US to open the Gordie Howe Bridge, which is great considering they are paying a lot of tariffs to the US,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
He added: “We changed the terms of the deal so the United States of America now gets 50% of the profits.”
This 2.5-kilometer-long bridge connects the city of Detroit in the United States and the city of Windsor in Canada. It is named after Gordie Howe, a Canadian-born ice hockey superstar who played for the United States team.
Construction of the project began in 2018 at a cost of C$6.4 billion, fully funded by Canada.
Trump on Monday ordered 50% tariffs on many Canadian goods to take effect within 30 days.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was considering “all options” to deal with the new taxes and that he and Trump had agreed to “intensify discussions” in the coming weeks.
Carney came under heavy criticism after releasing on Tuesday a draft of a financial management agreement for the bridge that was seen as very favorable to the US side.
Under the terms, Canada will pay 50% of the bridge’s net income to the U.S. Economic Development Fund for 15 years.
But on Thursday, Carney said the revenue sharing would only apply to funds remaining after Canada first meets its periodic debt service obligations to build the bridge and “remains in effect” under the terms of the 2012 agreement.
“It’s a good deal,” Carney told reporters. “I should have made it clearer.”
In February, Trump threatened to completely block the bridge, insisting that the United States had been treated unfairly during its construction and that “at least half” of the bridge should be owned by the United States.
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