Trade war: Canada sees no deal with U.S. before midterm elections
Ottawa has told industry there will be no agreement before the Nov. 3 vote, CBC reports. From Friday, the U.S. will collect 50% tariffs on 100 more Canadian products.
Symbolic image · Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Canada and the United States are unlikely to reach a trade deal before the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3, CBC reported, according to Anadolu Agency. Citing three unnamed sources, it said Canadian officials had told industry groups that no agreement was expected before the vote and that there were no substantial talks under way.
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc confirmed the position. "We have continued to remain engaged with the United States," he said, calling President Donald Trump's August threat to raise tariffs on cars, trucks, auto parts and steel to 50% from Jan. 1, 2027, "obviously of concern."
Meanwhile, Washington has reshuffled its tariff list: an order signed Oct. 23 adds 100 Canadian product classifications to the 50% tariff and removes 22. Collection begins Oct. 30. The Tax Foundation estimates the duties still cover about $22 billion in annual imports.