LeBlanc says 'focus hasn't changed' on trade talks, despite Democrat sweep in U.S. midterms - National Post

News LeBlanc says ‘focus hasn’t changed’ on trade talks, despite Democrat sweep in U.S. midterms Join the conversation Share Close Share this article

Copy URL Facebook Linked In X (Twitter) Loading account options Sign In Manage Account Close account menu Sign Out Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc speaks to journalists before a Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill Nov. 4, 2026. (Blair Gable/Postmedia) By Jordan Gowling November 4, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Last Updated: November 4, 2026 at 2:59 p.m. OTTAWA – Despite a Democrat sweep in the U.S. midterms on Tuesday, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said it won’t change Canada’s focus or approach to trade talks with the U.S. administration.

“We obviously want to congratulate the women and men who are elected to the United States Congress, many interesting races at the state level as well,” LeBlanc told reporters on his way into a caucus meeting on Wednesday.

“So, we congratulate those that were elected, but our focus hasn’t changed,” he added.

On Tuesday, Democrats took back control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Described as a “blue wave,” the election results have been interpreted by U.S. political pundits as the American voters’ repudiation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s record on the economy and his war in Iran. Democrats flipped Senate seats in red states including Texas, South Carolina and Kansas.

Canadians were left wondering on Wednesday morning if Trump’s political misfortunes would translate into better outcomes for Canada on U.S. trade talks. Canada walked away from a trade deal with the U.S. in late August, after talks fell apart. Trump has said he will add 50-per-cent tariffs on Canadian autos and auto parts in January.

In a post on X on Sunday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had a good conversation with Trump that builds on discussions on the outlines of a mutually beneficial trade deal. He said, “our teams will now be working in the coming weeks to deliver that outcome.”

On Tuesday, Carney said the U.S. was “asking less and they’re offering more, but we’re not quite there.”

The Democrats may be taking back Congress in January, but Trump’s tariffs have mostly been enacted through executive power. The president also continues to hold veto power.

LeBlanc said it’s not up to Canadians to interpret the election results.

“Our job is to focus on what we can control, and that’s to work with the people that Americans have elected, and in the case of our trade conversations, those are conducted at the level of the American executive, with cabinet secretaries that President Trump has in his government, and they remain in office today,” he said.

LeBlanc was asked whether Democrat control of Congress means Canada has more leverage to get a better deal.

In French, the minister replied “we’ll see.”

Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre thinks Canada does have more leverage, in the form of the goodwill of the American people.

“The results yesterday demonstrates Americans hate tariffs,” said Poilievre, during a scrum on Parliament Hill Wednesday.

Poilievre said he plans to return to the U.S. soon to continue making the argument for a return to free trade with Canada, and he urged Carney to take advantage of that leverage. But as for whether the midterm results will change things, he was less certain.

“Nobody controls President Trump,” he said. “I think it was really silly for Mark Carney to claim he could handle the president.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has been one of the Trump administration’s chief antagonists since the trade war erupted, reacted to the elections Wednesday morning with a beaming smile.

“The American people spoke,” he said, during a press conference at the Ontario legislature in Toronto. “The American people spoke on a couple issues: cost of living, cost of gas, the war in Iran, but most important is tariffs, because that’s all tied into the cost of living.”

Ford said he will direct his ministers to go down to Washington as soon as every new member of Congress is sworn in. The premier also noted this does not mean the trade war is over.

“‘It’s not even close to being done because the president still has the power,” he said. “The January tariffs are still on the table, so we have to get out there, communicate, and tell the American people.”

In a post on X Wednesday morning, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance outlined the conversations he had with his party’s pollsters during the midterms. He said ultimately the reason the Republicans lost was because of the war in Iran.

“The reason we lost is the war,” he said. “The president himself said so last night.”

On Wednesday, Trump seemed to agree with Vance’s assertion.

“I think it’s largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term,” he told reporters. “But at the same time, if I had it to do again, I’d have to do it again because long term, it’s the only answer. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump said he intends to work with the Democrats, unless “they want to be destructive,” and reiterated that he retains the power to veto legislation.

Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

You must be logged in to join the discussion.

The new proposed powers are contained in Bill S-8, which the Liberals tabled in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon.