Federal and provincial officials will gather in Windsor, Ont., on Friday for the opening ceremony of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, an event that was meant to be a joint celebration with the American side until U.S. President Donald Trump announced a fresh round of tariffs against Canada.
The bridge, which will provide a second link connecting Michigan and Ontario, is scheduled to open to traffic on Monday. Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson is set to represent the federal government at the ceremony.
Robertson will be joined by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkins.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is visiting a national park in Newfoundland and Labrador to highlight the Canada Strong Pass, will be skipping the event.
“Our gratitude goes to all the staff, workers, partners, and community members who were involved,” Robertson said in a statement.
Originally, U.S. officials were set to attend the opening ceremony, but on Tuesday, the federal government said Canadian officials will no longer be celebrating the opening with American representatives.
This came after Trump announced sweeping, steep 50 per cent tariffs on Canada.
“In light of trade action threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries,” a spokesperson for Robertson’s office said in an emailed statement.
In February, Trump threatened to block the opening of the bridge.
“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. We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote on social media.
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Canada paid for the construction of the bridge entirely, but it is jointly owned by Canada and Michigan.
On July 10, after months of negotiations, Robertson and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that the bridge would be opening on July 27, following a new revenue-sharing agreement.
The federal government on Tuesday released the text of what it called an agreement in principle with the United States for the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which outlines how revenues could be collected — and shared — for a project entirely financed by Canadian taxpayers.
Portions of it appear to contradict what Carney has said about how money will be split and how much the U.S. will get before Canadians are repaid for the debt of the bridge.
Carney said last week that Canada will not share any tolls collected from the bridge until Canada’s $6.4-billion debt from building it is repaid, but he also said that “net revenues” will be split over 15 years.
“Splitting of tolls, any sharing of the toll, won’t happen until all of the debt is repaid,” Carney told reporters on July 16.
However, the text of the agreement in principle states that Canada will make payments to the U.S. totalling 50 per cent of “net bridge and crossing related revenues” for 15 years and doesn’t clearly define what counts as operating costs or make mention of Canada’s debt.
But Canada sharing any portion of the bridge’s revenues, including from tolls, means it may take longer for Canada to make back the money paid to build the bridge in the first place.
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