Almost the entire world held its collective breath as results from the U.S. midterm elections rolled in on Tuesday night. Canadians were no exception.
As the Democrats prepare to take control of Congress, many north of the border are wondering what it will mean for Canada and the trade war with Washington.
Never one to hold back on his thoughts, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was elated with the Democratic victories and the hope that now there will come an end to President Donald Trump's tariffs against Canada.
"I was doing cartwheels down the street," he said. "I was jumping up and down, you know, when the results were coming in.
"But it’s very simple: The American people spoke. They spoke on a couple of issues: cost of living, cost of gas, the war in Iran. But most important tariffs, because that’s all tied in to the cost of living, and ... a tariff on Canada was nothing more than a tax on the American people."
Canada-U.S. trade talks have only recently ramped up again after being stalled since August. Ottawa’s Canada-U.S. trade minister, Dominic Leblanc, said nothing will change in the direction of Canadian negotiators following the midterm elections, injecting a note of caution.
"Our focus hasn’t changed," Leblanc said. "Yesterday we went to work on issues of affordability for Canadians, on building major projects, on strengthening the Canadian economy and diversifying our trading relationships. That was our focus yesterday. That is actually our focus and will be our focus tomorrow. Also would note that the people elected to the United States Congress last evening won’t be seated until January, so the current Congress will remain in place as will the administration of President Trump with whom we’re having our trade discussions."
Leblanc and other political leaders in Canada heard some welcome comments from Democrats in the wake of their victory.
"We’re going to put an end to these tariffs," said Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin. "Congress controls taxes and tariffs under the Constitution. Congress regulates commerce internationally and domestically, so we’re going to do everything in our power to make it very clear that we have not imposed 50% tariffs on our Democratic allies and friends in Canada. That we want to have free and fair trade with Canada like the rest of the world. That’s going to be very much on our agenda."
Raskin said he hopes the tariff issue is something the Democrats will move very quickly on, within the first 100 days.
But Trump has threatened even more tariffs on Canada in January, if there is no deal.
He still has two months to use his considerable powers, unhindered. On the weekend, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he spoke with Trump and there was reason for some optimism on the trade front. But with the midterms now in the rearview mirror, it’s unclear how much the results could affect any negotiations.
