Tensions between Canada and the United States have resurfaced over the nearly completed Gordie Howe International Bridge, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seeking to ease concerns raised by President Donald Trump about the project’s terms and ownership structure.
The bridge, a nearly $5 billion span connecting Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, is scheduled to open later this year. Construction began in 2018 under the oversight of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority. Once operational, it will be jointly managed by Canada and the state of Michigan, although Canada financed the project’s construction.
The dispute escalated after Trump criticized the agreement in a lengthy post on Truth Social, questioning what the United States stands to gain from the arrangement.
“Canada is building a massive bridge between Ontario and Michigan,” Trump wrote. He argued the project used “virtually no U.S. content” and pointed to a waiver granted during the Obama administration that he said allowed Canada to bypass Buy American provisions. “What does the United States of America get – Absolutely NOTHING!” Trump wrote.
Trump warned he would not permit the bridge to open unless the United States is “fully compensated” and suggested the U.S. should own “at least one half” of the asset.
Carney said Tuesday that he spoke directly with Trump in an effort to defuse the situation and described the call as constructive. “I explained that Canada, of course, paid for construction of the bridge,“ Carney said, adding that U.S. steel and labor were used in the project and that Michigan holds an ownership stake.
The Detroit-Windsor corridor is the busiest trade crossing between the two countries, with roughly $300 million in goods moving across the border each day. Supporters of the new bridge say it will ease congestion at the two existing crossings: the privately owned Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
The Ambassador Bridge is controlled by the family of businessman Matthew Moroun, which has long opposed the new project, arguing it could reduce toll revenue. The family has pursued legal challenges aimed at delaying or blocking construction.
According to The New York Times, Trump’s Truth Social post came just hours after Moroun met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The Times reported that Lutnick subsequently called Trump following the meeting.
The disagreement over the bridge comes amid broader strains in the U.S.-Canada relationship. Since early 2025, Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs and repeatedly suggested that Canada should become the 51st state. The two leaders also exchanged sharp remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, where Carney urged global cooperation against economic coercion. Trump responded that Canada benefits significantly from its relationship with the United States and should be “grateful.”
Carney indicated that discussions over the bridge would be incorporated into wider trade negotiations between the two countries. “This is going to be resolved,“ he said.
