OTTAWA – After days of conflicting messaging surrounding the Gordie Howe International Bridge deal, Prime Minister Mark Carney admits he could have better explained what was agreed upon between Canada and the U.S. “I should have been clearer,” Carney said when asked directly by CTV News if he lied about the agreement at a press conference in Charlottetown on Thursday. “Could I have explained it better on a Sunday morning at Stampede? Yeah. With a cowboy hat on. Yes, I could have explained it better,” the prime minister later added. Carney was referencing his response in an interview with CTV Calgary on July 12 in which he said money from the bridge would only be shared with the U.S. after debt costs were recovered. “We get the revenues. Then the servicing of the costs of the bridge and paying the debt of the bridge, and then what’s left over, there’s a split of that for 15 years,” he said at the time. But official details of the deal published late Tuesday – after days of political pressure – does not explicitly mention interest costs or debt payments related to the bridge, meaning Canada will repay its debt but only after splitting net revenue with the U.S. over those first 15 years. According to the new “proposed agreement in principle” that will run parallel to the original Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement signed in 2012, Canada will share 50 per cent of net bridge and crossing-related revenues after operational costs with the U.S. for the first fifteen years. “Net bridge and crossing related revenues is all revenues collected with respect to the bridge, less all incurred operating costs of the bridge,” the deal reads. That change is a notable shift from the original deal, in which Canada agreed to front the $6.4 billion in construction costs and collect 100 per cent of tolls until it recoups its full investment. The agreement estimated that recoupment would take at least 50 years, after which Canada and Michigan would equally split toll revenues. The new parallel deal also indicates that the funds shared with the Americans will go towards the United States-Canada Economic Development Fund that will be controlled by the U.S. In addition, the Americans will need to agree if Canada wants to increase tolls by more than 10 per cent or lower them below compared regional averages during the first 15 years of the bridge’s operations. Conservatives had been calling for the full terms of the deal to be released publicly and were considering using parliamentary tools to force its disclosure. The federal government announced the bridge deal on July 10, but a published document was only released on July 21 with details evolving during that period. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Carney continued to call the agreement “a good deal” for Canadians and said the revenue will have a “very marginal impact on the overall economics.” “Very marginal because takes time for traffic to ramp up. There’s various costs. There’s various sharing. It gets fed back in, and to put it in order of magnitude, it’s less than five per cent in present value of the overall cost of developing the bridge,” the prime minister explained. He also emphasized that the original agreement signed in 2012 “remains in place.” “There is no splitting of tolls under that agreement, which is what I was referring to, perhaps imperfectly,” he said. The bridge has been ready since last month, but its opening has been delayed amid trade tensions. Earlier this year, CTV News reported that both sides were trying to quietly negotiate an opening date after U.S. President Donald Trump complained in February that Canada was not treating the U.S. fairly on trade. Trump went on a lengthy tirade on social media that included the construction of the bridge as part of his grievance. There was expectation the bridge would open in June after Carney appeared to confirm reporting from U.S. media outlets. But days later, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the opening was put on hold, with Carney insisting at the time that there was “no big drama.” A Canadian-only celebration, meanwhile, will be held on Friday ahead of next week’s 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, who is the director of communications for Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, said in a statement on Tuesday. Earlier this week, Trump threatened to slap a 50 per cent tariff on a variety of Canadian goods on Aug. 19., even if they are compliant under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). According to three proclamations signed by Trump on Monday, the U.S. is taking issue with provincial bans on U.S. alcohol, supply management on dairy and certain tariffs and quotas on cars imported to Canada from the United States.
