Canada’s focus on trade talks with the United States “hasn’t changed” following a major sweep of the House of Representatives and the Senate by the Democrats Tuesday, says Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
LeBlanc cautioned that the current Congress remains in place until January and Canada must continue to collaborate with the representatives who are currently in office.
“Our focus hasn’t changed. Yesterday we went to work on issues of affordability for Canadians, on building major projects, on strengthening the Canadian economy, on diversifying our trade relationships,” he said. “That is actually our focus today and will be the focus tomorrow in the budget.”
LeBlanc said it would not be “constructive” to interpret what drove the results, where the war in Iran and the cost of living — which has soared due to both the conflict and the U.S. administration’s trade war on Canada and other countries — played a significant role, according to polling.
“Our job is to focus on what we can control, and that’s to work with the people that Americans have elected,” he said.
The Democrats swept both the House and the Senate Tuesday night in a blow to the Republican Party.
Some experts have said the results south of the border show how fed up Americans were with the ongoing trade war. Trade talks between Ottawa and Washington blew up in August igniting a fire that led to even broader tariffs on Canadian goods.
Canada retaliated by implementing counter-tariffs ranging from 15 to 50 per cent on approximately $27.6 billion worth of U.S. imports.
But Canada has also looked to diversify its trade portfolio, with recent trips to China and India, and signing on as an associate member with the European Union.
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“I think it’s dangerous to make assumptions about what might take place before you actually have the opportunity to sit down with partners,” Minister of Justice and Attorney General Sean Fraser told reporters Wednesday.
“The strategy for Canada going forward remains the same: to defend our economic interests by diversifying trade partners, seeing if we can work through the challenges that we continue to have vis-a-vis the United States.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that “more intense” trade negotiations with the U.S. had already begun following a phone call with President Trump over the weekend.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Carney needs to take advantage of the “immense leverage” of the midterms to get a good deal with the U.S.
“The results yesterday demonstrate that Americans hate tariffs,” he said. “A tariff on Canada is a tax on Americans.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that while he was elated with the midterm results, the strained relationship between the U.S. and Canada would remain.
Ford, who has been heavily critical of tariffs in the past, said he will be directing his ministers to head down to Washington to connect with senators, congresspeople and governors about their trade relationship as soon as the newly elected officials are sworn in at the end of January.
“We’re going to be down there, communicating, building those relationships,” he said. “We have to continue making sure that we move faster, quicker, immediate on everything across the board.”
Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said his government is planning a “diplomatic offensive” to launch south of the border.
“I think we’re in a better position to possibly find a solution because Americans have spoken, the situation has changed,” he told reporters in Quebec City. “So what we’re going to do is prepare a diplomatic offensive of discussion with the Americans to see if there isn’t a solution.”
Quebec has been one of the provinces hardest hit by U.S. tariffs which target softwood lumber, aluminum and various manufactured foods.
But St-Pierre Plamondon said he doesn’t plan for Quebec to carry out direct trade notifications just yet.
“I think before positioning ourselves on that, we’ll open up the channels of discussions,” he said.
In a statement on social media, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he looks forward to working together to lower costs on both sides of the border “by ending the war in Iran (gas & diesel prices) and the Trump tariffs (the price of everything else).”
He also gave a special nod to Minnesota Senator-elect Peggy Flanagan, the first Native woman elected to the Senate; Deb Haaland, who will lead New Mexico as the first Native woman to serve as a U.S. governor; and Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, who is the first Muslim elected to the Senate.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said the Democrat win is an opportunity for Canada to “reset our relationship” with the U.S. and to “restore free and fair trade between our two countries.”
“I know Canada is ready to do this,” he said in a statement on social media. “Hopefully the U.S. is as well.”
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