The key facts

  • Canada will continue trade negotiations with the Trump administration regardless of the midterm election results
  • The new US Congress will take office only in January
  • Canada conducts trade negotiations with the US executive branch, not Congress

Ottawa stays the course after the election

Canada will continue trade negotiations with Donald Trump's administration after the US midterm elections, Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said on Wednesday at a meeting with journalists in Ottawa, Anadolu reports. He congratulated the elected candidates but stressed that 'Ottawa's focus has not changed': the government is working on making life more affordable, on major projects, on strengthening the economy and diversifying trade ties, and this priority will be reflected in the budget.

Why the election results do not change the negotiations

The minister's key argument is timing: the new Congress will not take office until January, and until then the sitting Congress and the Trump administration will continue to exercise their powers. 'So the sitting Congress will remain in place, as will the administration of President (Donald) Trump, with whom we are conducting our trade discussions,' LeBlanc said. Moreover, according to him, trade negotiations are conducted by the US executive branch, not Congress: 'Our task is to focus on what we can control and to work with those whom Americans elected.'

Declining to interpret the vote results

LeBlanc refrained from assessing the motives of American voters, noting that 'it is not for Canadians to try to figure out why certain American voters moved in one direction or another.' 'The American Congress will act in the interests of the American Congress. Our work will be focused on what we can do at home,' he added. The publication does not report details of the negotiations themselves or their subject matter.