Carney and Trump talk up a trade deal, with no terms yet
Canada's prime minister says his team will work "in the coming weeks," and Trump calls a deal "conceptual." No text or signing date has been released.
Mark Carney said Sunday that he had a "good conversation" with President Donald Trump about the future of trade between Canada and the United States. Canada's prime minister posted the message on X and gave no terms, text or signing date for a deal.
Carney pointed to recent "constructive discussions" on the outlines of an agreement that, he said, would create jobs and lower costs for families. His team will now work "in the coming weeks" to get there.
Trump was more upbeat as he arrived at a rally in Iowa. "We have the concept of a very good deal with Canada," he told reporters, adding that the two sides are "very close." He said part of the arrangement would be that American farmers pay no tariffs.
None of that changes what is happening at the border today. Talks collapsed in August, Washington put 50% tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian goods, and Canada hit back with duties of its own. No relief for steel or autos has been announced.
"Close" is not a new word, either. The White House was saying on Oct. 25 that a deal was near, and the talks were described the same way in August before they fell apart. On Wednesday, Carney said conditions were not yet in place for a deal before the U.S. elections.
Mexico has a stake. Canada and Mexico are the United States' two partners in the USMCA, and a bilateral deal with different tariffs for Canada would reach the steel and auto supply chain the three countries share, and Mexico's position in the review of the pact. Without a text, the effect cannot be measured.
Americans vote Tuesday in the midterm elections, and the trade war with Canada has seeped into campaigns in border states such as Michigan and Maine.
