OTTAWA- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has defended the agreement brokered with the United States regarding the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. He stated that the profits shared between both countries would be minimal and insisted that this remains an excellent deal for Canada. The Prime Minister made these remarks during an interview with CTV Calgary’s Tara Nelson at the Calgary Stampede.
Carney clarified that profit-sharing will only occur after Canada recovers the full amount it invested in the bridge’s construction. He added that there will not be a substantial amount of net revenue left over to split in the coming years. Following weeks of delays and sharp public criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, both nations finally agreed to open the bridge to the public on July 27. Connecting Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, Michigan, the new crossing is expected to significantly streamline cross-border trade between the two nations.
Under the terms of the new deal, Canada will receive 50 percent of the bridge’s toll profits for the first 15 years, while the remaining 50 percent will go into an economic development fund. However, under the original 2012 agreement, Canada was supposed to collect 100 percent of the toll profits until it entirely recouped its $6.4 billion construction cost. The opposition has criticized these revisions, arguing that Canada conceded too much to the Trump administration. In contrast, Carney argued that investing the development fund money back into the U.S. side of the region will ultimately drive more traffic and boost economic growth for Canada.
