UPDATE - Canada's Carney speaks to Trump after dispute over Ontario-Michigan bridge

​​​​​​​ADDS WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON’S REMARKS

​​​​​​​By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday addressed a dispute with the United States about a bridge project linking the province of Ontario and the US state of Michigan, emphasizing cooperation and shared benefits for both countries.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his weekly Cabinet meeting in Ottawa, Carney said he spoke to US President Donald Trump.

"We discussed the bridge. I explained that Canada, of course, paid for the construction of the bridge over $4 billion, that the ownership is shared between the state of Michigan and the Government of Canada, and that in the construction of the bridge, obviously, there's Canadian steel, Canadian workers, but also US Steel, US workers that are involved," he said.

"This is a great example of cooperation between our countries," he said, noting that the bridge will support commerce, tourism and cross-border travel.

Saying the conversation with Trump "turned into a series of issues we will raise and we're going to follow up on," Carney said the US president "asked appropriately that his ambassador (Pete Hoekstra), who's from Michigan, play a role in smoothing the conversation in and around the bridge."

Carney also described his conversation with Trump as "positive."

His remarks come after Trump criticized the project Monday in a Truth Social post, alleging Canada built the bridge with "virtually no US content" and warning Washington would not allow it to open without fair compensation.

Trump warned that the project would not proceed unless Washington's demands are met. "I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” he said.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt described the Truth Social post as "very clear and direct," and said "the fact that Canada will control what crosses the Gordie Howe Bridge and owns the land on both sides is unacceptable to the president."

Leavitt said the US president "believes that the US should own at least half of the bridge, have shared authority over what passes across it, and participate in the economic benefits generated by its use."

"This is just another example of President Trump putting America's interests first, and so he made that very clear in his call with Prime Minister Carney earlier today," she added.