Mark Carney said on Sunday, November 1, that he had a constructive call with Donald Trump on a mutually beneficial Canada US trade deal. He said teams from both countries would work on the agreement in the coming weeks.
In a post on X, Carney said he had a good conversation with Trump on the future of Canada-US trade. According to The Hindu, he said the call built on recent constructive discussions on the outlines of a deal that would benefit both countries.
Carney said the agreement would create jobs, boost affordability for families and fully respect Canada’s languages, culture and sovereignty, according to the Straits Times. He also said: "Our teams will now be working in the coming weeks to deliver that outcome," according to Al Jazeera.
Trump told reporters that a US-Canada trade deal is "very close," according to the Straits Times. He said, "we have the concept of a very good deal with Canada." He also repeated his claim that the US has been "losing money for many years" in trade with Canada.
The talks broke down in August, when Carney’s envoy walked away. According to the Straits Times, the dispute was partly over whether to extend proposed US tariff relief to medium and heavy-duty vehicles.
Tensions escalated earlier that month. According to Al Jazeera, Trump imposed a 50 percent levy on $20bn of Canadian goods, or 5.5 percent of its exports. Canada responded with equivalent tariffs on US goods.
The outline’s background reports that Trump’s tariffs prompted Carney to reduce Canadian dependence on US trade. The week before the announcement, Carney hosted top European Union officials in Montreal. The EU offered Canada "associate member" status, which Carney welcomed.
The announcement came two days before the US midterm elections on November 3. Trade tensions with Canada have been an issue in Michigan and Maine.
Canada has also accused the US of seeking to curtail French-language programming. The US has denied that this was ever a key issue.
The sources leave several gaps. Neither government has given details of the proposed deal’s terms. No Canadian or US official response beyond the social media post and remarks to reporters has been reported. Trump’s claim about losing money in trade with Canada is unverified, and the sources did not test it against trade data.
The main accounts of the call come from the leaders’ own statements. The reporting sources do not offer an independent account of the conversation.
What happens next is unclear. Teams from both countries will work in the coming weeks to deliver a deal. Carney said Canada will not rush into an agreement if the terms are not in its best interest. US midterm elections are set for November 3.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.