LeBlanc: U.S. midterm results will not change Canada's trade stance — talks with Lutnick and Greer in the coming days

By The Canadian Chronicle · Thursday, November 5, 2026

Politics · Federal · The Canadian Chronicle

Published Thursday, November 5, 2026 · 2 min read

Canada's trade stance will not change because of Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections. That was the message Wednesday from Dominic LeBlanc, the minister in charge of Canada-U.S. trade, a day after American voters gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress.

What LeBlanc said

LeBlanc told reporters that "to a certain extent last night's results are interesting, but they will not have any significant impact in terms of our government's focus and work."

He said he plans to speak to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer over the next few days.

The result south of the border

Democrats seized control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterms. They blamed rising costs on the war with Iran and on President Donald Trump's policy of imposing tariffs on goods from major trading partners such as Canada.

Canada continues to face 50 per cent U.S. tariffs on a range of goods after talks broke down in August. No final trade text has been released.

Where the talks stand

Trump said on Tuesday that the United States was close to making a trade deal with Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney said work remained to be done, and that Washington had dropped some demands.

LeBlanc's position keeps Ottawa's line unchanged through the change in Congress: the talks continue with the administration, on the timeline the work requires, not the one the election calendar suggests.