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A spokesperson for Canadian infrastructure minister Gregor Robertson announces that Canada has cancelled a joint opening ceremony for the Gordie Howe International Bridge that will

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Gregor Robertson (Wikidata P18)
Photo: PearGurl / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Canada will celebrate the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge this week, the federal minister of infrastructure's office said Tuesday — but there will not be a celebration with the United States. “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,” said Jenna Ghassabeh, a spokesperson for Canadian Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, in an emailed statement.

“We remain committed to opening the bridge on July 27th, and to celebrating this milestone among Canadians on July 24th,” said Ghassabeh. It's not the first time there's been a change to the opening ceremonies for this bridge: In June, public officials were set to attend a similar ceremonial event on a Friday when federal officials announced it was being delayed at the request of the U.S. According to Robertson's office, the agreements to open the bridge remain in place.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement about the tariffs that his government believes in the “benefits of free and fair trade” and remains prepared to negotiate with the Trump administration. A ribbon-cutting ceremony had initially been scheduled for June 12 but was abruptly postponed after officials said the United States and Canada were still working to resolve “outstanding issues.

Two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations said they still expect the bridge to open to traffic July 27 but are less certain than they were before. "The Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement and the recently negotiated parallel Agreement in Principle between Canada and the United States remain unchanged," the emailed statement said.

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