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A planned joint celebration between the United States and Canada to mark the opening of a new bridge named after hockey legend Gordie Howe was put on ice after President Donald Trump’s surprise 50% tariffs on America’s neighbor to the north.
The celebration to open the new Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, had been slated for Friday.
The 1.5 mile-long span, named for the famed hockey player who spent 25 years playing for the Detroit Red Wings, is a walkable link between the two nations and has been under construction since 2018.
The ribbon-cutting for the $4.4 billion project was originally set for June 12 but had been pushed back. Canadian officials said they will now hold their own ceremony Friday to mark the opening.
“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, a spokesperson for Canadian Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, told the Associated Press.
Trump announced the hefty tariffs on Canada on July 20, prompting criticism from those who said they were ill-timed.
“This is not a time to be screwing around,” Fox Business correspondent Charlie Gasparino warned on Tuesday of the tariffs, adding that he agreed “intellectually” with Trump’s tariffs.
Trump irked Canada by claiming he would hold the country “responsible” for “filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air” from hundreds of wildfires recently blanketing swaths of the United States.
“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” Trump wrote July 17 on Truth Social.
More than 100 million people in 18 states and the District of Columbia were under air quality alerts from wildfire smoke, with cities like Chicago, Detroit, and New York among the hardest hit.
The post Bridge Too Far: Canada Cancels Border Crossing Ceremony After Surprise Trump Tariffs first appeared on Mediaite.
