Colin Bird, the consul general of Canada in Detroit, visited Eastern Michigan University’s campus Thursday to discuss trade relationships between Canada and the United States. Amid ongoing trade negotiations between Canadian and U.S. officials, Bird discussed the importance of free trade between the two countries with the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber.
The Trump administration has been pushing an America First Trade Policy that has resulted in the imposition of tariffs on multiple U.S. allies in recent weeks. While some of those tariffs have been postponed, including 25% tariffs on most goods from Mexico and Canada, they have stirred responses from countries that say they feel attacked by the trade moves.
The Trump administration is currently imposing a 25% tariff on aluminum and steel without exceptions. The White House said that the tariffs are justified due to national security concerns.
Canada has imposed retaliatory tariffs on nearly $21 billion worth of American goods despite the delay in some U.S. tariffs.
Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, also temporarily charged an additional 25% on electricity to 1.5 million American homes and businesses in Minnesota, New York, and Michigan in response to the U.S. tariffs. Ford suspended the surcharge a day after implementing it after having a conversation with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. Ford and Lutnick, along with other Canadian and U.S. officials, are meeting in Washington D.C. Thursday afternoon.
Bird is the consul general for Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan. He said Canada has worked with President Donald Trump to appease concerns about fentanyl and illegal immigration on the U.S.-Canada border, which Trump has cited as national security concerns.
Bird emphasized that fentanyl is an issue facing both Canada and the U.S., and so the country was happy to help “kill the scourge of fentanyl.” He also said that working with the U.S. to maintain a positive relationship is in the best interest of both Canada and the U.S.
“When President Trump was speaking to fentanyl and to immigration — first of all, there's more fentanyl going south to north across that border than the other way, and there's more immigration going into Canada from the U.S. than the other way — but it's a storyline that we have to be very careful about because it affects our potential economic well-being and it affects Michigan's potential economic well-being,” Bird said.
Bird discussed the scale of Canadian exports to the U.S., which might be impacted by broad-scale trade taxes.
“Two-thirds of our exports, plus, go to the U.S., and we're an exporting nation. Part of that is because we're an energy superpower.”
Bird also described how the U.S. and Canada have worked on a project to reduce barriers to trade and commerce in the past.
“That's why you are seeing now with the tariff situation as it is, such an upswelling of Canadian nationalism and patriotism, because they know that a lot of Canadian jobs are directly tied to this project that we have been working on together, at least since the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, really over a century, of building up a prosperous joint economy that works across that border as seamlessly as any two countries work across that border.”
Putting up a tariff wall across the Great Lakes between Canada and the U.S. means opening up opportunities for other countries to step into economic markets, according to Bird. An example Bird mentioned during his talk Thursday was the automotive industry.
“It's also a distraction from our global competitive challenges. Our joint auto ecosystem is hugely threatened,” Bird said. “I've been so proud to be part of trying to make sure that the head start that China got on electric vehicles, that we were putting efforts in both sides of the border to make sure that we had critical mineral supply chains in North America, that we were working hand in glove to make sure that we had a competitive fighting chance in the world that is coming to really be global leaders.”
Bird also discussed the differences in governance styles in both countries and how that impacts flexibility within an administration.
Mark Carney is expected to be sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister Friday. Carney has signaled that he plans to keep Canadian tariffs in place until “the Americans show us respect,” according to The Associated Press. Bird said he doesn’t expect Carney to have a shift in approach toward trade policy with the U.S. compared to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Bird said the infrastructure connecting Detroit and Windsor needs some improvements, but residents should also expect to see some coming soon.
“The reality is that on both sides of the border in the Midwest, we had under-invested in infrastructure for a long time,” Bird said.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is currently under construction and aims to connect Detroit and Windsor. The bridge is expected to be completed in September 2025.
Bird said connections such as the Gordie Howe International Bridge allow for more travel of the Canadian and American workforce between countries.
