Carney says US-Canada trade talks have intensified, but terms remain in dispute
Trump has suggested a trade deal could come soon. Carney says Canada’s red lines have not changed as tariffs draw attention ahead of US midterm elections.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Ottawa on October 26 that US-Canada trade talks had intensified slightly, according to NBC News, as President Donald Trump suggested a deal could come soon. Their accounts of progress differ, leaving businesses and voters facing continued uncertainty over tariffs ahead of the US midterm elections.
NBC News reported that Trump said over the weekend a potential agreement would be ‘settled pretty soon’ and that Canada was willing to give the United States anything. Carney disputed that account: ‘To the extent any progress has been made, it’s because the U.S. is coming closer to our position,’ he told reporters.
Carney says Canada’s trade demands have not changed
Carney said Canada had clear ‘bottom lines, red lines’ and had refused the terms offered in August, NBC News reported. He described the recent discussions as a ‘slight, slight intensification,’ according to the Associated Press. More conversation has therefore not resolved the dispute over what either country would accept.
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett suggested the countries were close to a deal, the Associated Press reported. But Carney said he could not be sure Trump would honor a new agreement. The office of Canada’s trade minister described its contact with Washington as ‘constructive dialogue,’ according to the AP; neither government has announced agreed terms.
Trump told a Detroit television station that an agreement could come before the midterms, although it might take months, the AP reported. That range leaves the timing unsettled even as officials publicly discuss a possible deal.
Tariffs matter in closely watched US Senate races
The United States announced late last week that it would lift some tariffs on Canadian goods and replace them with others, NBC News reported. The shift followed an appeal from Republican Senator Susan Collins, who faces a close re-election contest in Maine. NBC described tariff-fueled inflation as a major concern for voters before the midterms.
The tariff dispute also features in other closely watched Senate races. Michigan Republican candidate Mike Rogers called for ending the trade war in a campaign ad, according to the AP. The two economies remain closely connected: the United States buys millions of barrels of Canadian oil each day, and its trade balance with Canada turns to a surplus when energy is excluded, the AP reported.
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Sources and context
- White House tempers tough talk on Canada trade as inflation tops voter concernsNBC News
- Carney says Trump moving closer to Canada’s trade demands as midterms loomThe Associated Press, carried by ABC News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.