OTTAWA — A senior Canadian cabinet minister said on Wednesday that the US midterm results would not change Ottawa’s approach to trade negotiations with Washington, adding that he would speak soon with his American counterparts.
Democrats won control of both the Senate and House of Representatives, blaming rising costs on the war with Iran and President Donald Trump’s tariffs on goods from major trading partners, including Canada.
Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for US trade ties, said the election outcome was “interesting” but would have no significant impact on Canada’s focus or work. He said he planned to speak with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in the coming days.
Trump said on Tuesday that the United States was close to reaching a trade deal with Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, however, said more work remained and that Washington had dropped some of its demands.