Carney defends Gordie Howe bridge deal as opposition seeks committee probe
The U.S. says the tariffs, to be applied Aug. 19, are in response to provincial bans on U.S. liquor, Canada's supply-managed dairy system and quotas on certain U.S. vehicles.
The new agreement in principle on revenue sharing between Canada and the United States is a “good deal,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday as a House of Commons committee is set to debate a request to probe the terms of the agreement.
That comes after the federal government earlier this week released the text of what it’s calling an agreement in principle with the United States for the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which outlines how revenues will be collected — and shared — for the bridge that was entirely financed by Canadian taxpayers.
Portions of it appear to contradict what Carney has said about how money will be split and how much the U.S. will get before Canadians are repaid for the debt of the bridge.
“The underlying agreement between Canada and Michigan remains in place,” Carney told reporters in Prince Edward Island where he was meeting with Canada’s premiers.
He added, however, that there would be some “sharing of proceeds with the United States” under a “parallel agreement.”
“This is a good deal. This is a good deal for Canadian businesses, workers. it’s a good deal for the future of our commerce,” he added.
This comes as the House of Commons government operations committee is set to meet regarding a request from opposition members to investigate the terms of the agreement.
“I’ve been informed by opposition members of the Government Operations committee that they are calling for an urgent investigation into the details of the Gordie Howe Bridge deal and the misinformation provided to Canadians about it,” Conservative MP and chair of the committee Kelly McCauley said on social media.
“As their Chair, I will convene a meeting on Wednesday, July 29 to allow the committee to get to the bottom of the matter.”
Carney had said last week that Canada will not share any tolls collected from the bridge until Canada’s $6.4-billion debt from building it is repaid, but he also said that “net revenues” will be split over 15 years.
“Splitting of tolls, any sharing of the toll, won’t happen until all of the debt is repaid,” Carney told reporters on July 16.
However, the text of the agreement in principle states that Canada will make payments to the U.S. totalling 50 per cent of “net bridge and crossing related revenues” for 15 years, and doesn’t clearly define what counts as operating costs or make mention of Canada’s debt.
‘Intensifying’ trade talks
The confusion around the bridge agreement comes as Canadian officials said earlier this week they will not celebrate the planned opening with American counterparts amid the U.S. administration’s latest threats to impose 50 per cent tariffs on Canada.
Canada and the United States are “intensifying” trade talks amid those threats, Carney said.
“We are intensifying our negotiations with the United States in pursuit of a comprehensive agreement that addresses all tariff related sectors,” he said.
The “level of engagement and a breadth of engagement” in recent days “reflects the seriousness of the trade relationship and the breadth of the issues,” Carney said.
“There isn’t a series of little trade issues there, broad trade issues. All of them have to be part of a comprehensive agreement,” he added.
Trump’s impending tariffs are the latest in a “series of unilateral unwarranted trade actions,” Carney said in opening remarks ahead of his meeting with premiers.
“We’re clear Canadian governments around this table will do whatever it takes to defend and support our families our workers and our business,” Carney said.
Canada was also in a much stronger position than it was when the trade war began, he added.
“Let’s also be clear that we are in a stronger position than we were when this trade war started 18 months ago,” Carney said.
“We’re in a stronger position because of the determination of Canadians themselves and I will say this because of the focus of the premiers around this table,” he added.
The First Ministers Meeting comes just days after Trump signed orders to increase tariffs by 50 per cent on a variety of Canadian goods, ranging from hockey sticks to honey to cement.
The U.S. says the tariffs, to be applied Aug. 19, are in response to provincial bans on U.S. liquor, Canada’s supply-managed dairy system and quotas on certain U.S. vehicles.
The premiers say they’re united behind Carney and his negotiators as the federal government tries to de-escalate trade tensions and work on renewing the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, also known as CUSMA.
–with files from Global’s Ari Rabinovitch
This story was originally published by Global News on July 23, 2026. CityAM Canada is republishing it for our Canadian readers.