No Canada-U.S. trade deal expected before American midterm elections: sources

CBC reports that, according to three sources with knowledge of the situation, Canadian government officials have been informing industry groups over the past few weeks that there is no expectation a deal can be reached before the Nov. 3 vote.[2]The sources told CBC there is no substantial engagement at this time, even though officials from both countries remain in contact.[3]The sources also told CBC that the White House is "fully immersed in the election campaign," with Trump spending much of his time holding rallies.[3] Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc confirmed that the government isn't expecting a deal before the midterm elections[1]. LeBlanc told CBC's Power & Politics that Ottawa is "not going to rush into some particular circumstance"[1].Brian Clow, Justin Trudeau's former deputy chief of staff, told CBC that some people had been optimistic about a deal before the midterms, "But that window appears to be entirely closed."[3] Clow told CBC that Trump "still has a lot of tools to inflict a lot of damage on Canada"[3] whatever the election results.CBC reports that after trade talks fell apart in August, Trump wrote on Truth Social that tariffs on cars, trucks, automotive parts and steel would rise to 50% on January 1, 2027.[2]UA.NEWS reports that Flavio Volpe of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association said Canadian industry had not seen the legal documents needed to put the new tariffs into effect.[4]