Canada Opens Gordie Howe International Bridge Amid U.S. Absence as Trade Tensions Rise

Published On 24 Jul 202624 Jul 2026

Canada celebrated the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, Michigan, in a subdued ceremony that excluded U.S. officials, following a toll‑share dispute and fresh threats of 50 % tariffs from President Donald Trump that have heightened bilateral tensions.

Canada scrapped the planned joint ribbon‑cutting, and the Friday inauguration was observed solely by Canadian officials and invited guests ahead of the bridge’s scheduled Monday opening to traffic.

Surrounded by fruit cups, pastries, and children playing hockey—a nod to the legendary Detroit Red Wings player for whom the bridge is named—Canadian officials marked the occasion with guests, including members of Gordie Howe’s family. Participants were urged to don red and white to display Canadian pride and were barred from crossing into the United States.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford noted that Trump’s tariffs have strained Canada‑U.S. ties, yet he described the bridge as “an example of what we can achieve when our two great countries work together.” Sporting a red Team Canada jersey bearing Howe’s number 9, Ford affirmed that Ontario would not yield to U.S. pressure.

He added, “Canadians and Americans fare better when they cooperate rather than remain apart.”

What should have been a joint celebration between longtime allies was eclipsed by tense trade talks and Trump’s Monday warning of additional tariffs on Canada, which ships roughly 70 % of its exports to the United States—including goods affected by Canadian wildfire smoke that has drifted southward.

Financed entirely by Canada at a cost of $4.7 billion, the bridge was originally slated for a June opening after groundbreaking in 2018 and is intended to provide a quicker crossing than the existing Ambassador Bridge over the Detroit River.

In February, Trump warned he might halt the project, citing Canadian provinces’ reluctance to sell U.S. alcohol, Canadian tariffs on American dairy, and Ottawa’s trade negotiations with China.

Earlier, in January, Detroit trucking mogul Matthew Moroun—whose family has run the Ambassador Bridge for generations—contributed $1 million to a Trump‑aligned PAC, per The New York Times. Moroun has long opposed the new span, arguing it would divert traffic and revenue from the Ambassador Bridge.

Both the White House and the PAC have previously denied any link between the contribution and Trump’s threats to obstruct the bridge.

Disagreements persist over how and when the bridge’s revenues will be shared. Ottawa noted that roughly 274 million Canadian dollars ($194 million) worth of goods cross the Windsor‑Detroit corridor each day.

Trump remarked that it was “fine” that Canada had “disinvited” the United States from the opening ceremony.

In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump declared that the original bridge agreement, which he called poorly negotiated by a prior administration, is void, and that the revised terms grant the United States 50 % of the profit.

Prime Minister Mark Carney asserted that Canada would only share toll revenues after recouping its investment, yet a draft accord released Wednesday shows that Canada will split net bridge and crossing revenues with the United States for the first fifteen years without a clear clause guaranteeing repayment first.

At a Thursday press briefing, Carney clarified that an earlier Canada‑Michigan pact remains operative and stipulates that toll revenue sharing will not commence until the debt is fully repaid.

Neither side has released a public estimate of the expected revenues.

The proposed arrangement seems to clash with the 2012 Canada‑U.S. agreement cited by Carney, observed Nicolas Lamp, an associate professor and lawyer at Queen’s University’s Institute on Trade Policy.

Lamp noted, “The United States can cite the new deal promising it half of net revenue, whereas Canada can argue that it conflicts with the original pact; the ambiguity lets each side declare victory.”

Don Abelson, who chairs Canada‑U.S. political studies at McMaster University, said the primary achievement was merely opening the bridge while appeasing Trump.

He added, “Recouping the billions invested in the bridge is vital, yet nothing outweighs the significance of the Canada‑U.S. trade relationship.”

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