Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
I will speak to you about the Bridge to Strengthen Trade Act, which would authorize the construction of a new international bridge across the Detroit River between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan. It was referenced on page 159 of the budget action plan of 2012, last spring.
The Windsor-Detroit trade corridor is by far the busiest border crossing, handling almost 30% of Canada-U.S. trade and 30% of Canada-US truck traffic. That represents over 7,000 trucks per day. In 2011, Canada-U.S, trade reached $689 billion. Michigan-Canada trade exceeded $70 billion. There is no trading partner more important to Canada than the state of Michigan. Canada conducts more trade with Michigan than it does with any other country in the world, except for the United States as a whole.
Presently, 99% of the Windsor-Detroit truck traffic crosses the 83-year-old, four-lane Ambassador Bridge, the only major Ontario-U.S. crossing without direct highway access and without significant redundant capacity for truck traffic. As such, a new bridge is a very high priority for shippers and manufacturers.
Therefore, a new border crossing is necessary. The Government of Canada has been working with Ontario, Michigan and the United States government in the past 10 years to develop the Detroit River international crossing project.
Canada and Michigan signed the agreement on the crossing in June 2012, which was an important step toward the construction of the new public crossing. The agreement shows that the Government of Canada and the Government of Michigan are fully committed to proceeding with the project quickly.
This project has the support of all major automotive and auto parts manufacturers, including the big three in Detroit, plus Honda and Toyota. It also has the support of all major chambers of commerce in Canada and the United States, as well as the local chambers of commerce in Michigan.