Mark Carney defends Canada-funded bridge in call with Trump amid ownership row

Amid a fresh row over Gordie Howe Bridge, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he held an early-morning call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday to address soaring tensions after Trump claimed he could block the project until Washington was given adequate compensation.

Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Carney said he made clear that Canada had paid the full construction cost of the Windsor-Detroit crossing and that the bridge was built as a joint effort by workers and suppliers from both countries.

CARNEY PUSHES BACK ON TRUMP CLAIMS

The Canadian PM said he told Trump that Ottawa invested around $4 billion in the bridge, which links Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, Michigan, and that both Canadian and American workers.

He was responding to Trump’s recent claim that there was "virtually no US content" in the project — a statement Carney described as misleading.

While Trump has also suggested that the US government owns "both the Canada and the United States side" of the bridge, officials in Ottawa say the crossing is jointly owned by Canada and the state of Michigan.

Under the Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement signed in 2012, the bridge is guaranteed joint, binational ownership, even though Canada covered all upfront construction costs.

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, a Canadian Crown corporation, will operate the crossing, while an international body made up of Canadian and Michigan representatives oversees it.

"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," he added.

TRUMP FLAGS OBJECTIONS TO CURRENT SETUP

Despite Carney’s reassurances, the White House signalled that Trump remains unhappy with the current arrangement.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump believes it is "unacceptable" for Canada to "control" what crosses the bridge.

She said the President wants the US to own at least half of the crossing and to have shared authority over border traffic.

Leavitt added that Trump remains concerned about trade and security implications linked to the project, which is expected to become one of North America’s busiest commercial crossings.

In a lengthy post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump accused Canada of treating the United States "very unfairly" for decades and said he would not allow the new bridge between Ontario and Michigan to open unless Washington receives full compensation. "We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY," he wrote.

CARNEY BANKS ON DIPLOMACY TO EASE STANDOFF

Carney said he expects US ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra to help ease tensions.

The ambassador, a Michigan native, "will play a role in smoothing the conversation in and around the bridge," Carney said.

Describing his exchange with Trump as constructive, Carney added, "It was a positive conversation."

He also said he joked with the President about sport, telling him that Canada’s women’s hockey team would beat the United States in their Olympic matchup.

DOUG FORD DOWNPLAYS ROW

Ontario Premier Doug Ford sought to play down the dispute, saying he is confident the bridge will open as planned.

"Make no mistake about it, as sure as I’m talking to you, I’m very confident the bridge is going to open," Ford said as quoted by CBC. He pointed to bipartisan support for the bridge among Michigan politicians, many of whom have criticised Trump’s remarks.

The Gordie Howe Bridge is expected to play a central role in North American trade, with thousands of trucks crossing daily once it opens.

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With inputs from agencies