The key facts
- $6.2 billion package: $3.7 billion for steelmakers, $1.8 billion for the auto industry over five years
- Canadian auto exports to the US fell by more than 10%, American exports to Canada by more than 20%
- The US Embassy accused Joly and Ford of interfering in the midterm elections; they and analysts reject this
$6.2 billion support package
Canada announced a $6.2 billion aid package (€5.7 billion) to protect its steel and automotive industries from American tariffs. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford presented the plan on Wednesday. Of the total, $3.7 billion (€3.4 billion) goes to steelmakers and $1.8 billion (€1.65 billion) to automakers over five years; $1.1 billion (€1 billion) of the automotive portion is provided by the federal government in Ottawa.
Carney: trade deal destroyed
“US tariffs have wiped out a trade arrangement that existed for decades,” Carney said, adding that they raised prices for American families and put Ontario's workers and businesses at a disadvantage. According to him, Canadian auto exports to the US fell by more than 10%, while American exports to Canada fell by more than 20%. “The tariffs weaken both of our industries and reduce choice for our families,” he said. Carney set a goal of doubling Canadian exports to markets outside the US within a decade, acknowledging that the integrated North American auto industry may no longer be a priority for Washington: “Their approach has changed. Ours must change too.”
Layoffs and frozen talks
The same day, the American company Cleveland-Cliffs confirmed layoffs at its plant in Hamilton, Ontario. Carney said that on Wednesday he spoke at length with President Trump about trade, Iran and the Middle East, but no breakthrough emerged, noting Canada's readiness to negotiate. Talks broke down in August after Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Canadian goods worth about $20 billion (€18.4 billion), followed by a Canadian response. Ford said: “Whatever happens in the midterm elections, whoever sits in the White House, we are not going back to the way things were.”
Election interference accusations
The US Embassy issued a statement accusing Canadian politicians of attempting to influence next month's midterm elections. The embassy named Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, who discussed retaliatory tariffs against Republican states, and Ford, who aired on American television a clip of Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs — the very clip over which Trump halted trade talks in October 2025. Both politicians rejected the accusations. Independent analysts also disagreed: “The hidden assumption that Canada could significantly influence the outcome of the midterm elections is absurd,” said Daniel Béland, a professor of political science at McGill University.
