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Michigan alliance pushes ‘smart trade’ as Trump targets Canada, Gordie Howe Bridge

A new alliance in Michigan is highlighting how trade inconsistencies have been detrimental for farmers.

Mark Fisk with the Michigan Smart Trade Alliance says President Trump’s threats to block the new Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor add to the instability in trade discussions.

“The on-again, off-again makes it almost impossible to plan,” he says. “In agriculture, planning is essential. And folks who work in the farm economy, they’re not looking at next week, they’re looking at the next several years in terms of markets and decisions they have to make, capital investments, all that gets disrupted with this approach to trade.”

He tells Brownfield the bipartisan, educational group wants trade policy to remain affordable, create jobs, and be consistent.

“When you disrupt that, and you disrupt the supply chain, sometimes the impacts can last for decades because folks get a new supply of whatever the product is and they don’t come back to Michigan,” he explains. “We don’t want that to happen. We’re hearing that loud and clear from the folks joining our alliance. They want smart trade.”

Fisk says Michigan’s economy is deeply intertwined with Canada, and preserving that relationship benefits the farm economy.

In a recent social media post, Trump said Canada’s tariffs on dairy products are unacceptable and putting farmers at a financial risk, and he won’t allow it to open until the U.S. has been compensated for everything Canada has been given.

The bridge, owned by Canada and Michigan, was brokered by former Republican Governor Rick Snyder and endorsed by President Trump during his first term in 2017.