President Donald Trump threatened Monday to block a new bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada, citing the country’s perceived hostility toward the U.S. and its relations with China.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is expected to open in early 2026, is set to be the only bridge that allows for foot and bike traffic between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario. But Trump threw the project’s fate into peril, fuming at Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration as tensions between the two countries run high.
“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” Trump wrote in a Monday evening post on Truth Social.
Trump added that negotiations regarding the project would begin immediately, insisting that the U.S. “should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset."
Construction on the bridge over the Detroit River, which is named for the late legendary Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe who played for the Detroit Red Wings, began in 2018 and has been funded by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, a federal Crown corporation owned by the Canadian government.
The Canadian government is responsible for operating, maintaining and rehabilitating the bridge for the next 36 years.
In his social media post, Trump pointed to Canada’s decision to pull American-made spirits like bourbon from its government-controlled liquor stores in response to his repeated threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.
He also cited Carney’s recent deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping to open Canada to Chinese electric vehicle imports, writing that the agreement “will eat Canada alive.” The Trump administration has argued that the deal undermines Canada’s negotiating position with the U.S., and Trump threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on all Canadian imports if Carney follows through on it.
Still, Carney denied speculation that Ottawa is in free-trade talks with Beijing, acknowledging that such a move would put Canada’s trade relationship with Washington in jeopardy.
Spokespersons for Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said that "whether this proves real or simply threatened to keep uncertainty high — blocking or barricading bridges is a self-defeating move.”
“The path forward isn’t deconstructing established trade corridors, it’s actually building bridges,” she added.
Ottawa’s relationship with the Trump administration has soured in recent months, with Carney calling on smaller countries to lead the creation of a new world order in a rabble-rousing speech last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The speech instantly drew Trump’s ire and threatened to sabotage fragile trade talks between the two countries.
Trump also lamented in Monday’s post that former President Barack Obama “stupidly gave [Canada] a waiver so they could get around the BUY AMERICAN Act, and not use any American products, including our Steel.”
While the Obama administration granted Michigan the initial presidential permit allowing construction for the bridge, Trump supported the project during his first administration, with the president and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau writing in a 2017 joint statement that they “look forward to the expeditious completion” of the project. Trump’s transition team also reportedly included the project on an infrastructure priority list shared with the National Governor’s Association that year.
Among Trump’s other gripes in Monday’s post was Canada’s restrictions on U.S. dairy imports, referring to the country’s tariff rate quota, under which it charges high tariffs on dairy imports beyond a certain quota.
“The Tariffs Canada charges us for our Dairy products have, for many years, been unacceptable, putting our Farmers at great financial risk,” he wrote.
from Politics, Policy, Political News Top Stories https://ift.tt/3eLKvFV
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment