A planned joint ceremony marking the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, linking Detroit in the United States with Windsor in Canada’s Ontario province, has been called off after U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on Canadian goods.
The bridge, one of North America’s largest cross-border infrastructure projects, was due to be jointly celebrated by officials from both countries on Friday. However, the event has been scrapped following Trump’s decision to impose a 50% tariff on most Canadian imports, escalating trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa.
Announcing the tariffs earlier this week, Trump accused Canada of maintaining unfair trade practices, particularly in the automobile, dairy and alcohol sectors, arguing that American businesses had long been disadvantaged.
In response, Canada said it would no longer participate in a joint celebration.
“In light of trade action threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries,” Jenna Ghassabeh, spokesperson for Canadian Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, said in a statement.
Canadian officials now plan to hold their own ceremony on Friday instead. It remains unclear whether the United States will organise a separate event.
The cancellation comes despite both governments reaching an agreement earlier this month to finally open the Gordie Howe International Bridge after delays caused by bilateral disagreements.
Although the ceremonial plans have changed, the bridge is still expected to open to public traffic on July 27, according to officials familiar with the discussions. Two U.S. officials, speaking anonymously because internal deliberations are ongoing, said they still expect the opening to proceed, though they acknowledged there is now greater uncertainty than before.
Canada also reaffirmed its commitment to the bridge’s launch.
“We remain committed to opening the bridge on July 27th, and to celebrating this milestone among Canadians on July 24th,” Ghassabeh said.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is expected to significantly boost trade and transportation between the United States and Canada, which share one of the world’s busiest commercial borders. However, the diplomatic fallout over Trump’s latest tariff decision has overshadowed what was intended to be a symbol of cross-border cooperation.
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(with inputs from agencies)
