On the eve of a United States midterm vote, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reported that a conversation with President Donald Trump had moved the two neighbours closer to a future trade arrangement. It is a modest but meaningful step in a relationship that has been bruised for months by tariffs, since the collapse of high-level talks in August left both capitals trading levies against each other. Nothing has yet been settled, and what was offered was a sign of direction rather than a finished bargain, so the real measure will be whether the coming weeks of quiet work hold together long en
Carney Signals Progress in Canada-US Trade Talks Days Before Midterms
The announcement describes progress rather than an agreement.
Mark
Carney says there's progress. What exactly has been achieved?
Mimi
A conversation, mainly. He said it was a good one with Trump, and that teams will work in the coming weeks on the outcome.
Luke
Worth being clear: no terms, no dates, no tariff changes were announced. "Progress" is Carney's word, and so far it's the only account we have.
Mark
Why now, two days before the midterms?
Mimi
Tariffs have become a campaign issue in Michigan and Maine, where Republican candidates face pressure over harm to local businesses.
Luke
The timing is a fact. Any link between the announcement and the election is inference, and neither leader has said so.
Mark
What's at stake in the dispute itself?
Mimi
After talks broke down in August, Trump put a 50 percent levy on $20bn of Canadian goods, 5.5 percent of its exports. Canada hit back on steel, dairy, appliances, farm equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.
Luke
And Trump's "pretty soon" last week came with no details. We don't know what he means by soon.
Mark
Is Canada waiting on Washington?
Mimi
Not entirely. It welcomed an EU associate-member offer and has signed a deal with the UAE.
Luke
Those show diversification effort, but nothing here says they can replace the US market.
Il Polso
- Carney announced progress on a Canada-US trade deal just two days before Americans vote in the midterms.
- Talks collapsed in August, and Trump's 50% levy on $20bn of Canadian goods drew matching Canadian tariffs.
- Tariff pressure is reaching voters in Michigan and Maine, where Republican candidates feel the fallout from local business losses.
- Negotiating teams will work through the details in the coming weeks, but no terms have been published and no agreement exists yet.
- Ottawa is widening its options with a possible EU associate membership and a UAE deal, while watching whether Trump's 'pretty soon' becomes reality.
On the eve of a United States midterm vote, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reported that a conversation with President Donald Trump had moved the two neighbours closer to a future trade arrangement. It is a modest but meaningful step in a relationship that has been bruised for months by tariffs, since the collapse of high-level talks in August left both capitals trading levies against each other. Nothing has yet been settled, and what was offered was a sign of direction rather than a finished bargain, so the real measure will be whether the coming weeks of quiet work hold together long enough to matter.
On Sunday, just two days before Americans go to the polls in the November 3 midterms, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted a brief message on X. He had enjoyed a good conversation with President Donald Trump about the future of trade between their two countries, and teams from both sides would now work through the coming weeks to shape it. No terms were offered. What he described was progress, not a signed agreement.
The moment sits inside a long and bruising trade war. Since returning to office, Trump has placed tariffs on many allies, and Canada, one of America's largest trading partners, has felt the weight. The sharpest break came in August, when high-level talks collapsed. Trump answered with a 50 percent levy on $20bn of Canadian goods, and Ottawa retaliated with matching tariffs on steel, dairy, appliances, farm equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.
The dispute has also become a campaign issue. In Michigan and Maine, Republican candidates have faced pressure as tariffs hurt local businesses, and control of Congress is at stake. Trump himself said last week that a deal could come "pretty soon," though he offered no details then, and Carney's message adds none now.
Canada is not waiting on Washington alone. Ottawa has been widening its trading options, welcoming an EU offer of "associate member" status and praising its ambition, while Carney speaks of a "unique alliance" rather than full membership. A trade deal with the United Arab Emirates points the same way.
The question now is whether the weeks of work produce a concrete agreement, and whether the tariffs born of August's breakdown are lifted once the election is behind us.
On Sunday, two days before Americans vote in the November 3 midterm elections, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted a short message on X. He had had a good conversation with US President Donald Trump, he wrote, on the future of trade between the two countries.
Carney followed that with a statement that teams from both countries would work in the coming weeks to deliver that outcome. He said the effort builds on recent constructive discussions about the outlines of a mutually beneficial trade deal. No terms were given, and the announcement describes progress rather than an agreement.
The backdrop is a trade war that has strained relations between Ottawa and Washington. In recent months, each country has imposed billions of dollars in tariffs on the other's goods. Since returning to office for a second term, Trump has upended global trade by placing tariffs on many US allies, and Canada, one of America's largest trading partners, has been among those affected.
The sharpest break came in August, when high-level talks between the two governments collapsed. Trump then imposed a 50 percent levy on $20bn worth of Canadian goods, equal to 5.5 percent of Canada's exports. Canada answered with matching tariffs on US steel, dairy, appliances, farm equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.
Trump himself raised expectations last week, saying he expected a new trade agreement with Canada to be reached "pretty soon". He offered no details then, and Carney's post adds none now.
The timing matters because the dispute has found its way into the midterm campaign. The tensions have become an issue in Michigan and Maine in particular, where Republican candidates have come under pressure over tariffs that have hurt local businesses. Control of the US Congress is at stake in Tuesday's vote.
Canada has not placed all its hopes on Washington. Ottawa has been trying to widen its trading options, and it recently welcomed a European Union offer to become an "associate member". Carney praised the ambition of the proposal and described his aim as a "unique alliance" rather than conventional EU membership. Other recent coverage points to the same push: a trade deal signed with the United Arab Emirates, aimed at markets beyond the US.
What to watch now is whether the weeks of work Carney described produce a concrete agreement, and whether the tariffs imposed after August's breakdown are actually lifted once the election has passed.
Citazioni salienti
Teams from both countries will be working in the coming weeks to deliver that outcome.— Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister
Trump said he expected a new trade agreement with Canada "pretty soon", without giving details.— Donald Trump, US President, last week
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Politics & Governance