For generations, Michigan’s economy has been built alongside Canada’s. Few states have more at stake if that relationship becomes unstable.
Together, we have built things, shared common economic interests and created mutual prosperity. Our shared success and critical friendship are in jeopardy in light of the latest news regarding the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
The uncertainty of what comes next could now mean chaos for industries across Michigan, from agriculture to manufacturing to tourism. With the fate of trade with Canada up in the air as we enter annual USMCA trade negotiations, years of progress and success stemming from a trade relationship that benefits Michigan could be undone.
That’s why countless business groups, coalitions of farmers, the auto industry and representatives of Michigan’s tourism industry have called to extend the USMCA into the next decade.
USMCA fosters economic stability and predictability with our state’s closest trading partner and allows businesses to thrive and families to feel financially secure. Everyone can plan for the future. Without renewal of the USMCA, we urgently call for smart and consistent trade policies and an end to erratic, on-again, off-again tariffs.
Michigan’s auto industry depends on predictable trade because its vehicles are produced through an integrated supply chain that crosses the Detroit River multiple times before final assembly. Michigan farmers rely on dependable access to Canadian markets and affordable potash, while small and midsize businesses depend on the $80 billion commercial relationship between Michigan and Canada. Without certainty, neither side can quickly replace what the other provides without years of disruption and high costs.
Erratic trade policies have already cost Michigan significantly. We have lost 6,300 manufacturing jobs since January 2025, in part due to tariffs, and tariffs have complicated infrastructure projects in the state, adding up to $218 million to the cost of state road and bridge projects.
The newly completed Gordie Howe Bridge spanning the Detroit River is a symbol of friendship between Michigan and Ontario and a vital trade link for Michigan businesses. Its unnecessary, economically disruptive delay in opening appears to be because it was used as a bargaining chip in ongoing trade discussions. Once the bridge opens, far less initial traffic than planners anticipated is expected on the route, in part because of trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada.
Michiganians deeply value our longstanding friendship with Canada. Recent polling shows Michigan voters oppose tariffs on auto and manufacturing parts imported from Canada by a 63% to 31% margin, including nearly half who strongly oppose them.
The USMCA represented a new age in commerce between the U.S. and Canada and stood as a marked improvement on the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Congress should move quickly to preserve the certainty that Michigan businesses, workers, farmers and consumers need. Our state’s economic future depends not on more uncertainty, but on stable, predictable trade with our closest ally and largest trading partner.
Mark Fisk is co-founder and partner of Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications. John Sellek is the founder and CEO of Harbor Strategic Public Affairs.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan’s economic future depends on renewing USMCA | Opinion
Reporting by Mark Fisk and John Sellek / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Fisk and John Sellek | USA TODAY Network
