What U.S. midterm election results could mean for Canada

Don't expect much to change after Democratic gains in Congress with Donald Trump still leading country

Published Nov 04, 2026  •  3 minute read

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump are pictured together in this file photo. Postmedia

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The U.S. midterm elections saw the Democratic Party trounce Republicans to take control of the Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday.

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But with President Donald Trump still leading the country for the GOP for another two years, will the relationship between the U.S. and Canada be overhauled?

The short answer is not to expect much to change in the near future.

Democratic breakthroughs from the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, U.S. midterm elections. Photo by Toronto Sun graphic

Approach to talks won’t change: LeBlanc

On Wednesday, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters in Ottawa that the country’s approach to trade talks with the Trump administration won’t be altered despite the election results.

“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 said on Parliament Hill.

Discussions earlier this year on a renewed trade deal between Canada and its southern neighbours came to a grinding halt in August after Prime Minister Mark Carney said U.S. trade officials wanted more concessions during negotiations.

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In a televised address, Carney said his government walked away from trade talks due to threats to Canada’s sovereignty and the country’s key industries, including auto manufacturing, being undermined.

According to Carney, “the United States proposed new terms that were uneconomic, unfair and undermined the net benefits to Canada and called into question the reliability of any deal. In short, they asked too much and they offered too little.”

Working to diversify trading relationships

Since coming into office, the prime minister has been working to diversify Canada’s trading relationships to reduce the heavy economic relationship with the U.S. amid the ongoing trade war and tariff tensions.

Those efforts include recent meetings with European Union officials on creating a closer alliance on trade.

However, in the days leading up to the midterms and with polls showing Republicans were about to lose the House and possibly the Senate, progress appeared to be made as Trump touted a trade agreement was close. Carney, meanwhile, said his recent “constructive discussions” with the U.S. president could lead to a potential deal in the coming weeks.

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Trump confirmed to reporters that he had a conversation with the PM on Sunday and said a deal is “going to be great for our farmers, great for our country,” Politico reported.

Trump happy with tariffs as bargaining chip

Despite the appearance of progress on the trade front, Trump is more than happy to use tariffs on a wide range of imports as a bargaining chip with foreign governments and Congress is unlikely to stop him.

While the Senate and House have oversight and constitutional powers to rein in Trump’s trade and tariff policies, any legislation sent to the White House for a presidential signature faces a veto.

On Sunday, Trump mused that he would use his veto power for “a month or two” before compromising with Democrats.

“I guess I’ll become Mr. Veto,” Trump told the New York Post‘s Pod Force One podcast. “I’m not going to let them ruin it.”

He suggested things will eventually get done to help the American public.

“And then at some point, we’ll probably make deals,” he said.

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