Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump demands half ownership of the Gordie-Howe Bridge and will Carney call a spring election?

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to full length editions of Munk Dialogues with Andrew Coyne. Your donor membership comes with other great perks like a livestream pass to our mainstage debates and advanced access to full length episodes of our weekly Friday Focus podcast with Janice Gross Stein.

Donald Trump is trying to claim that the new $6.4-billion bridge built between Windsor and Detroit – fully funded by Canada – should belong in part to the US. This is not just about a bridge, it’s a commentary on the decline in US-Canada relations. Trump’s bizarre Truth Social post also tries to delegitimize Canada as a vassal state of China and a threat to the United States. Trump is trying to destabilize Canada and all signs suggest he will attempt to use the leverage of CUSMA to impose all kinds of conditions on us as we enter into new trade negotiations. Andrew believes he is overstating his leverage and destroying the American trade position such that every traditional US trade partner is looking elsewhere to make deals. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Andrew turn to Canadian domestic politics and rumours that Mark Carney will call a spring election to shore up a majority government. Why would the Liberals want an election sooner than later? And can Carney get his majority without forcing Canadians to head to the polls?