Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government welcomes “any moves” to restore free trade between Canada and the United States as officials south of the border push to end the trade war.
In the days since the U.S. midterm elections gave the Democrats firm control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, several party officials have indicated repealing President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products is a priority.
They include Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon who is expected to chair the Senate finance committee when the new Congress is seated in January. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Wyden was already talking to colleagues about legislation to combat Trump’s tariffs, including those on Canada.
Even if a bill is introduced, Trump retains the power to block it by issuing a veto. The president’s veto can only be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress.
The Democrats likely will need more than 20 Republicans in the House, and 10 to 12 Republicans in the Senate, to vote with them to override a Trump veto. Some Republicans have said they know the tariffs are among the reasons their party lost.
“Tariffs have made everything too expensive,” longtime Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said in his post-midterms statement.
Ahead of the elections, some Republican candidates also broke with Trump over his trade war with Canada, including failed Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers. Rogers loudly backed the tariffs in the summer but changed his tune in October.
Abdul El-Sayed, who defeated Rogers, has said ending what he called the “stupid tariffs on Canada” is among his priorities.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Carney said he hasn’t spoken with Democrats about plans to introduce legislation to end the tariffs.
He said a free-trade agreement is in the interests of both Canadians and Americans and his government will continue to work with Washington to get a deal that serves Canada.
“We welcome any moves to restore a free trading arrangement between Canada and the United States, which is in the interests of American families struggling with affordability. It’s in the interest of American workers looking for good, high-paying jobs and it’s fundamentally in the interest of Canadians,” said Carney.
Before the midterm results were known on Tuesday, Carney said more formal talks with the U.S. were restarting following a call with Trump. The prime minister indicated the Trump administration had softened its position and said the Americans were “asking less” and “offering more.”
Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, who has visited Washington in an attempt to move forward Canada-U.S. trade negotiations, said Ottawa still needs to find ways to work with Trump.
“I would love nothing more than for us to be able to get this done and move on because we got a lot of problems in our own country we need to solve,” said Jivani. “This whole U.S. thing has become a massive distraction from a lot of our own domestic issues.”
After trade talks between Canada and the U.S. collapsed in August, Trump slapped an array of Canadian goods with 50 per cent tariffs, banned imports of other Canadian products and signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.
Ottawa responded with retaliatory tariffs on specific American imports.
Trump again escalated trade tensions the following month by banning imports of certain Canadian goods, including motorcycles and some liquor and whey products.
Last month, Trump lifted some tariffs on Canadian exports while adding tariffs to dozens of new products, including Canadian garbage and sewage.
A U.S. food importer also filed a legal challenge of Trump’s use of a Depression-era trade statute — Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 — to hit Canada with the heavy duties and trade embargoes.
Politicians on both sides of the border are looking at the midterm elections results as an opportunity to rebuild the Canada-U.S. relationship.
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Wednesday the Liberal government’s push to diversify trade won’t change direction in the midterms’ wake. He also said recent talks with Trump’s administration have been productive and he looks forward to speaking more with his American counterparts in the coming days.
Trump said Friday that Stephen Miller would become White House chief of staff. Miller currently serves as White House deputy chief of staff for policy and oversees a broad portfolio, though he is best known for his role in Trump’s immigration policy.
After Carney met with Trump in Washington in May 2025, Miller told Fox News that it was like “watching a grandmaster in chess perform.”
“President Trump has opened up a completely new relationship with Canada because of his strength and because of his diplomacy,” he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Friday there is a need to address the sectoral tariffs that have been hitting Canadians “extremely hard,” including those on steel and aluminum.
Anand added that Canada has to “keep going with asserting Canadian interests.”
“We are standing for Canadian sovereignty, Canadian domestic economic resilience and our strategic autonomy,” she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2026.
— With files from Kyle Duggan, Kelly Geraldine Malone and The Associated Press
By Catherine Morrison | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.