trump apparently thinks that the gordie howe bridge is ripping america off because canada is not paying to access america's market. but there are already two international crossings in windsor (an aging tunnel and an aging bridge) and bridges in sarnia and niagara falls. there's also an ancient underground rail line. this is not a new border crossing, it's a replacement for aging infrastructure that has been in place for 100 years.

further, i think he doesn't realize that canada paid for this unilaterally because it's actually the other way around. the united states sees canada as an exporter of raw materials, but canada is actually a net importer of almost everything and the 401 is the single artery that the windsor-quebec corridor, which has something like 70% of canada's population, relies on. almost all canadians import almost everything from detroit.

canada didn't build this bridge because it needed an export route, it built it because it wanted to control how goods are entering canada.

the importance of detroit to canada's economy is difficult to understate. if we ever do get into a war, i would assume that capturing detroit would be canada's single largest strategic objective. i'd rather try to get detroit to join canada willingly, by enthusiastic consent.