OTTAWA — Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the government’s push to diversify trade won’t change direction following the U.S. midterm election results that saw the Democrats gain control of both houses of Congress.
LeBlanc says talks with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump have been productive and he looks forward to speaking more with his American counterparts in the coming days.
He says the results of the U.S. midterms are interesting but they won’t divert the federal government’s trade agenda and that work will continue with the Trump administration.
Tariffs were a factor in races in battleground states like Maine and Michigan, where the unsuccessful Republican candidates spoke against Trump’s attacks on Canada.
LeBlanc pushed back on the claim that Canada’s counter tariffs put pressure on Republicans in battleground states, saying the goal was always to protect Canadian jobs and level the playing field with the United States.
Formal talks have been stalled since Canada walked away from negotiations in Washington in August but Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday more official discussions had begun again in recent days.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2026.
David Baxter, The Canadian Press