Canadian elected officials demand release of full agreement with U.S. on Gordie Howe Bridge

Six members of Parliament in Canada are calling for the president of the King's Privy Council for Canada to release the full agreement with the U.S. on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, amid concerns about who would actually benefit from the toll profits.

In a letter to President Dominic LeBlanc, who is responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, MPs Shuvaloy Majumdar, Eric Duncan, Kathy Borrelli, Dave Epp, Chris Lewis and Stephanie Kusie requested the full agreement, including financial arrangements and commitments with the U.S., whether the agreement altered the timetable for Canada to recoup its money and whether the U.S. would have the authority to change toll rates.

Canada fully funded the $4.6 billion ($6.4 billion CAN) bridge, which is scheduled to open on July 27, and planned to recoup the costs through toll revenue. The members said they were raising concerns after seeing news reports that half of the bridge's net profits would go to a regional fund, with the U.S. being able to make toll decisions.

"Canada paid 100% of the cost of building the Gordie Howe International Bridge in exchange for a promise that we would collect 100% of the tolls until the cost was repaid. We even paid for infrastructure on the American side of the border. We took the risk and the cost. We deserve to recover our money. That is why we were shocked to learn that you have agreed to give half of the toll profits to the United States, at the expense of Canadian taxpayers," the six members wrote to LeBlanc.

Lewis, who shared the letter on social media on Tuesday, said, "Canadians deserve to know what changed, what will be shared, when taxpayers will recover their investment, and what Canada received in return."

CBS News Detroit reached out to the Privy Council Office on Wednesday night for comment and is awaiting a response. CBS News Detroit also reached out to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority for comment and is awaiting a response.

The bridge, which has been under construction since 2018, is jointly owned by Canada and Michigan.

In 2012, then-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed an agreement to enable the construction of the bridge. Under the agreement, Canada was responsible for constructing, financing and operating the bridge. Additionally, all iron and steel would be sourced in Canada or the U.S.

In February, Mr. Trump threatened to block the opening of the new bridge "until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them." In response, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said efforts by Mr. Trump to stall the bridge's opening and "force Canada into a bad deal" are unacceptable.

"What's the option? Not to open it? That would be absolutely preposterous, " Dilkens said. "I think the matter is a settled matter that this bridge is going to open because we received the presidential permit, Canada funded the entire cost of construction and the entire bridge is built."  

The members also called out Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying the prime minister "conceded to every one of the President's demands."

"He has given away all of our bargaining chips without even showing up at the negotiating table. He rightly reversed course on the DST, the Netflix Tax Hike, counter tariffs and defence spending, but failed to use these as bargaining chips to get U.S. tariffs removed in return. Now he appears to have given the U.S. half the toll profits on a bridge for which Canada paid 100% of the cost," the members wrote.

CBS News Detroit reached out to Carney's office for comment and is awaiting a response.

Note: The video above originally aired on July 10, 2026.