A new suspension bridge connecting the United States to Canada recently opened after more than two decades of planning, but only the Canadians showed up to celebrate.
asserted
Canadians → connect → planning
The Gordie Howe International Bridge spans the Detroit River, connecting Detroit, Michigan with Windsor, Ontario.
asserted
Bridge → span → Windsor
It is named after a Canadian hockey player who starred for a US team.
asserted
who → name → team
"In normal times, that would be a very, very big celebration, a grand event, with leaders of both countries present," Michigan auto industry spokesperson Glenn Stevens Junior told DW.
asserted
Junior → tell → DW
'Escalating tariffs will harm workers'
asserted
tariffs → escalate → workers
In July, US President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on a wide range of goods from Canada.
asserted
Trump → announce → Canada
A second Trump announcement days later of the doubling of tariffs on Canadian automobiles and auto parts to 50% triggered even more concern for businesses on both sides of the new bridge.
asserted
announcement → trigger → bridge
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney countered with tariffs between 15% and 50% on $20 billion (€17.2 billion) worth of goods imported from the US.
asserted
Carney → counter → US
The retaliatory measures took effect at 12.01 Eastern Standard Time (05:01 GMT/UST) on Tuesday September 8.
asserted
measures → take → Tuesday
Polls by the Canadian non-profit Angus Reid suggested that the majority of Canadians were in favor of a tougher stance in tariffs.
uncertain
majority → suggest → tariffs
At the same time, Canadian workers feared for their jobs, the polls found.
asserted
polls → fear → jobs
Business leaders, too, have warned of the harmful effects of the tariffs on the economies of both countries.
asserted
leaders → warn → countries
"An escalating cycle of tariffs and retaliation will ultimately harm businesses, workers, and consumers on both sides of the border," the Detroit-based Canada and US Business Association (CUSBA) said in a statement in response to the tit-for-tat tariff hikes.
asserted
Association → escalate → hikes
"Each new tariff compounds costs, disrupts production, delays investment, and weakens the competitiveness of US and Canadian businesses.
asserted
tariff → compound → businesses
"
Jobs at stake on both sides of the border
Further north, the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario estimated the new tariff regime will cost 119,000 local jobs in 2026.
asserted
regime → estimate → 2026
Many of these are predicted to be in the auto industry, with Ontario's auto manufacturing output estimated to shrink by 8% in 2026 compared with a no-tariff scenario.
asserted
output → predict → scenario
This contraction is expected to be felt on the US side too, especially in Michigan, where more than a fifth of all vehicles produced in the US in 2022 were built, including several well-known household brand names.
asserted
fifth → expect → names
The economies of Michigan and Ontario are deeply interconnected, the Detroit Regional Chamber stressed in August.
asserted
Chamber → interconnect → August
"Engines that are built in Michigan go into trucks that are built in Ontario, engines that are built in Ontario go into trucks that are built into Michigan," said Glenn Stevens Jr, who is also the chamber's Chief Automotive and Innovation Officer.
asserted
who → build → Michigan
Figures show that by 2023, Detroit automakers supported 815,000 indirect jobs through supply chains, as well as 147,000 direct workers across the US.
asserted
automakers → show → US
Detroit's chamber has called for a restoration of "normalcy," defined as a focus on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, (USMCA, or CUSMA in Canada), due for an annual review.
asserted
chamber → call → review
Tariffs, EV attacks and AI blamed for job cuts
Even before the announcement of Trump's tariffs and Canada's counter-tariffs, Detroit's famous car industry had stalled.
asserted
industry → blame → tariffs
The volume of production for companies was relatively stable as were jobs on and around auto factory lines, Stevens Jr said.
asserted
Jr → say → lines
Although this meant there wasn't a significant loss in employment, new job opportunities weren't being created.
asserted
opportunities → mean → employment
Analyzing the number of US car dealership franchise listings for new vehicles is a standard way of tracking auto production.
asserted
Analyzing → analyze → production
These listings show vehicle production has generally increased in the past 12 months, but the past 30 days show a significant slowdown.
asserted
days → show → slowdown
Data from industry weekly Automotive News has around 33,000 more listed vehicles compared to this time last year, but 70,000 fewer vehicles were listed in the past month.
asserted
vehicles → have → month
US auto companies were adjusting business plans even before the latest round of tariff announcements, with business leaders warning of increased US manufacturing costs.
asserted
leaders → adjust → costs
These costs have now been handed down to the consumers, with US shoppers seeing record sales prices of more than $52,000 for new cars in September.
asserted
shoppers → hand → September
Companies had resisted hiring people or expanding over the past 18 months since tariff talks between Canada and the US had started to intensify, Stevens Jr said, adding to a lack of investment in new designs owing to withdrawn US federal support for electric vehicles.
asserted
Jr → resist → vehicles
Is cross-border friendship fraying?
asserted
friendship → fray → ?
Apart from the auto industry, the tariffs are impacting other sectors.
asserted
tariffs → impact → sectors
Across the US, real estate market media in June described a "cooling relationship between the two countries," affecting property transactions, tourism revenue and the local economy.
asserted
media → describe → transactions
"Most Canadians think it's unpatriotic ... to visit the United States," Claude Molineri, CEO of Visit Detroit said of the cooling friendship and downturn in tourism.
asserted
Molineri → think → tourism
Earlier this year, Detroit's official visitor site reported that the city had seen an 11% decrease in Canadian guests compared to 2025.
asserted
city → report → 2025
Meanwhile, several "buy Canadian first" online campaigns have been referring users to local businesses and Canadian ingredients in everyday grocery items in response to the tariff enouncements.
asserted
campaigns → buy → enouncements
The cities of Detroit and Ontario's Windsor/Essex normally facilitate trade worth more than $100 billion each year, which is almost a third of all annual trade between the US and Canada, according to Downtown Detroit Partnership, a group of business and community leaders.
uncertain
which → facilitate → leaders
The cooling ties between the two countries could come at a heavy price.
uncertain
ties → cool → price
