The Gordie Howe International Bridge is nearing completion but President Trump warned Canada that he won’t
As lawmakers in Congress look set to debate the validity of Donald Trump’s tariffs against Canada, the US’ second largest trading partner, the president has threatened to shutter a major infrastructure project with the key ally.
President Trump blasted the US’ northern neighbor in a tirade on Monday (February 9) that veered between threats and claims that a burgeoning trade deal between Canada and China will ‘terminate ALL Ice Hockey’ and ‘eliminate’ the Stanley Cup.
Angered by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pivot away from the White House towards Europe and Beijing, in the wake of the US slapping tariffs of up to 35 percent on Canadian imports, Trump lamented ‘we’ll just get the leftovers’ if a trade deal is signed with China.
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Seemingly attempting to reassert control over the NATO ally, the president even threatened to shutter an almost finished $4.7 billion bridge project that will make it easier for motorists to travel between Michigan and Ontario.
He did not elaborate on how he would block the Gordie Howe International Bridge, but said that the Canadian government had built the bridge without using any US steel or other ‘American products’ – even though the entire project was funded by Canada.
Trump blamed ‘President Barack Hussein Obama’ for approving the project, despite the fact that construction had begun in his own first term in office, even signing an approving joint statement with then-PM Justin Trudeau as construction began in 2018.
While claiming that the publicly-owned bridge, which is in addition to the existing private Ambassador Bridge, would somehow ‘take advantage of America’, Trump added: « I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them. »
It is not clear how this block on the international bridge would be implemented, but the president added: « Also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve. »Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin told the Guardian that ‘canceling this project will have serious repercussions’.
She added: « Higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply chains, and ultimately, fewer jobs. »
Slotkin also said that Trump’s positioning was ‘punishing Michiganders for a trade war he started’.
« The only reason Canada is on the verge of a trade deal with China is because President Trump has kicked them in the teeth for a year, » she said.
The sudden consternation over the major infrastructure project comes as multiple issues with US-Canada relations come to the fore. Trump’s hardline tariff stance has seen Canada actively pivot away from its only neighbor towards the US’ main rival on the global stage.
This has caused the White House to threaten tariffs of up to 100 percent on Canadian imports, but at the same time, the validity of these tariffs looks set to fall to a vote in the House of Representatives.
Nebraskan Republican Rep. Dan Bacon indicated this week that he would consider joining the Democrats in voting the tariffs down, saying: « We have a trade agreement with them, and I don’t like how the White House has treated our neighbor and ally. »
President Trump’s threat against Canada in full
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said: « As everyone knows, the Country of Canada has treated the United States very unfairly for decades. Now, things are turning around for the U.S.A., and FAST!
« But imagine, Canada is building a massive bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They own both the Canada and the United States side and, of course, built it with virtually no U.S. content.
« President Barack Hussein Obama stupidly gave them a waiver so they could get around the BUY AMERICAN Act, and not use any American products, including our Steel. Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!’
« What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING! Ontario won’t even put U.S. spirits, beverages, and other alcoholic products, on their shelves, they are absolutely prohibited from doing so and now, on top of everything else, Prime Minister Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive.
« We’ll just get the leftovers! I don’t think so. The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.
« The Tariffs Canada charges us for our Dairy products have, for many years, been unacceptable, putting our Farmers at great financial risk.
« 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.
« We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset. The revenues generated because of the U.S. Market will be astronomical. Thank you for your attention to this matter! »
Canada’s decades-old military agreement with the United States could be radically changed if the country does not follows through on its promise to buy 88 fighter jets, President Trump’s ambassador has warned.
The scathing threat to change the terms of the North American Air Defence Command (NORAD), came as Canada reviews the partnership it has with its tariff-happy southern neighbor, including its agreement to buy 88 American-made F-35 fighter jets.
With just 16 of these cutting-edge jets paid for and develivered, Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra warned CBC that ‘NORAD would have to be altered’ if the Canadians did not follow through on their purchase.
Hoekstra argued that the US would have to purchase more fighter jets itself to defend North America’s airspace if the country backed out, potentially resulting in US Air Force jets enforcing Canada’s sovereign airspace. »If Canada is no longer going to provide that [capability], then we have to fill those gaps, » he added, highlighting the importance of NORAD in defending both countries from airborne threats.
NORAD has tracked potential threats to the airspace over Canada, Alaska, and the rest of the contiguous US since the start of the Cold War, with American and Canadian jets being sent to intercept any unidentified aircraft.
But Hoekstra is threatening that US jets would be forced to operate in Canadian skies if Prime Minister Carney decides to cancel the rest of the F-35 purchases, which cost between $80 million and $110 million per plane.
This warning has been branded a heavy-handed ‘political pressure tactic’ by a Canadian national security official, who argued that the US was threatening the NORAD alliance simply to sell more planes.
This is because Canada is weighing up replacing the US-made Lockheed Martin F-35 with the similarly-priced Swedish Gripen fighter jets, after a number of allies have raised concerns about America’s control of replacement parts for their air force.
« If they decide, » Hoekstra said, « they’re going with an inferior product that is not as interchangeable, interoperable as what the F-35 is, that changes our defence capability. And as such, we have to figure out how we’re going to replace that. »
Defense officials have long argued that the F-35 is a superior fighter jet platform, due to the ability to change the plane’s equipment to allow it to be deployed across a variety of environments, whether that’s a vertical takeoff from an aircraft carrier or a long-ranged strike mission.
National Security adviser under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Vincent Rigby, said: « This is another off-the-cuff remark by the ambassador. it can’t be ignored but neither should it be taken as gospel truth from either the administration or the Pentagon. »
But in Europe, military experts are beginning to warn against using the American-made platform, with many on the continent now viewing the US as an unreliable partner.
Danish defense committee chief Rasmus Jarlov has warned allies to ‘choose another fighter jet,’ after Trump threatened to annex Greenland, territory that has belonged to the European country for centuries.
He warned that the F-35 program required a constant stream of US-made parts, giving America total control over whether other nation’s air forces even leave the tarmac.
Jarlov said: « They’re in for repairs about half the time or even more. So the Americans have all the power of actually destroying our air force just by shutting down [parts] supplies. »
The trade war between the US and Canada has no signs of slowing down as Trump reveals what his next move will be.
Donald Trump’s new tariffs are a response to price rises the provincial government of Ontario put on electricity sold to the United States.
Trump had previously warned the nation that the US would retaliate.
Taking to his own social media network, Truth Social, Trump explained how he would be hitting back at Canada.
Donald Trump took to Truth Social to explain what his plans for Canada were(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Donald Trump took to Truth Social to explain what his plans for Canada were(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
He wrote: “Based on Ontario, Canada, placing a 25% Tariff on “Electricity” coming into the United States, I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an ADDITIONAL 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.”
Trump also demanded Canada make some changes otherwise he would continue to put pressure on the nation.
He continued: “This will go into effect TOMORROW MORNING, March 12th. Also, Canada must immediately drop their Anti-American Farmer Tariff of 250% to 390% on various U.S. dairy products, which has long been considered outrageous.
“I will shortly be declaring a National Emergency on Electricity within the threatened area. This will allow the U.S to quickly do what has to be done to alleviate this abusive threat from Canada.”
Trump also made it clear that these new measures are just the beginning and warned that further tariff increases could follow in April.
He also revealed he was prepared to ‘permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada’.
His post went on to say: “If other egregious, long time Tariffs are not likewise dropped by Canada, I will substantially increase, on April 2nd, the Tariffs on Cars coming into the U.S. which will, essentially, permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada.
Trump insisted he would cripple the Canadian automobile manufacturing industry (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Trump insisted he would cripple the Canadian automobile manufacturing industry (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Those cars can easily be made in the USA! Also, Canada pays very little for National Security, relying on the United States for military protection.”
He again called on Canada to become America’s 51st state to avoid further trade war issues, something that has proven unpopular in the nation.
Trump closed his rant by saying: “The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State. This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear.
“Canadians’ taxes will be very substantially reduced, they will be more secure, militarily and otherwise, than ever before, there would no longer be a Northern Border problem, and the greatest and most powerful nation in the World will be bigger, better and stronger than eve.”
