Carney tells Trump Canadians paid for Gordie Howe Bridge after president's social media eruption

Carney says he told ruff Canada paid for Gordie irving howe bridge over

undercoat Minister Mark Carney said he spoke to his U.S. Counterpart early Tuesday morning about the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which Donald Trump has threatened to block, explaining to him that Canadians paid for the bridge in full and that the Americans already have an ownership stake.

Carney said he told Trump that the federal government paid some $4 billion to build the Windsor-Detroit bridge and that it was built with Canadian and U.S. Workers and steel from both countries, despite the president's bogus claims that there was "virtually no U.S. Content" used during construction.

While Trump said the federal government owns "both the Canada and the United States side," the bridge is, in fact, publicly owned by both Canada and Michigan.

The Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement, signed between the two jurisdictions in 2012, guarantees its joint, binational ownership despite Canada paying all upfront costs associated with construction.

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which will be responsible for operating the bridge, is a Canadian Crown corporation. The International Authority, which is composed of an equal number of representatives from Canada and Michigan, has oversight over the bridge.

"This is a great example of co-operation between our countries. I look forward to its opening," Carney told reporters on Parliament Hill on Tuesday morning.

"What is particularly important, of course, is the commerce and the tourism and the voyages of Canadians and Americans that will go across that bridge."

Trump says U.S. Should own 'at least one half' of Gordie Howe bridge

Carney said the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, will "play a role in smoothing the conversation in and around the bridge." 

"It was a positive conversation," Carney said, adding he told Trump that Canada's women's hockey team will beat the Americans in their Olympic matchup today. "It's a big game today and we're going to win."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford seemed unfazed by Trump's latest anti-Canada tirade.

"Make no mistake about it, as sure as I'm talking to you, I'm very confident the bridge is going to open," Ford told reporters on Tuesday.

"It's going to open because it's in the best interest of the American economy," he said, pointing to the Michigan politicians who have condemned Trump's remarks while voicing support for the bridge.

"If President Trump didn't want it to go forward, why did he fast track it? All of a sudden, he changed his mind and it's not good," Ford said.

Before Trump threatened to block the bridge on Monday, he had made positive statements about the new link. "We look forward to the expeditious completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will serve as a vital economic link between our two countries," Trump said in a joint statement with former prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2017.

Carney said he also discussed issues around the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement (CUSMA) with Trump on the call.

In an interview with Fox Business, Jamieson Greer, Trump's trade representative and point-person on CUSMA, said there will be "a negotiation specific to the bridge," and he suggested the Americans want a cut of any toll revenue raised by Canada.

Canada is set to collect that toll money to recoup the costs of paying for a bridge, which will benefit businesses and workers on both sides of the border, without any U.S. Financial assistance.

Greer said the U.S. Is "the main economy" and many times bigger than Canada and it should be compensated for allowing goods to be sold into its territory.

"The United States needs to make sure it has its fair share of any proceeds from that bridge and the economic activity that it generates."

Greer also spoke about the Ambassador Bridge, the neighbouring crossing owned privately by the American Moroun family, a major Republican political donor that spent years fighting the construction of the competing new bridge.

Greer said "the U.S. Has more of a say" with that bridge, which has made the Moroun family billionaires. "We just want to make sure our economic and national security is preserved," he said.

Greer also said early CUSMA negotiations with Canada have not been going very well.

"The Mexicans are being quite pragmatic right now.… With the Canadians it's more challenging," he told Fox Business. "There are a variety of issues they haven't addressed — and they aren't addressing."

Before Christmas, Greer had laid out what the Americans expect Canada to do to ensure CUSMA clears this year's review process, including more access for U.S. Farmers to the Canadian dairy market and an end to the provincial U.S. Liquor boycott.

Senior reporter

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