OTTAWA – U.S. President Donald Trump says he expects his constantly evolving trade war with Canada to end “pretty soon” as Prime Minister Mark Carney suggests Washington could be moving closer to Ottawa’s demands.
Trump told a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday that Canada had been “ripping off” the U.S. on trade and he had no choice but to impose levies on Canadian goods.
He said the trade dispute would be settled “pretty soon” and that Canada was “willing to give us anything at this moment.”
At a news conference Monday, Carney was asked if there had been any movement on the trade file in the past week.
“To the extent any progress has been made, it’s because the U.S. is coming closer to our position,” Carney responded.
“Canada’s ready to sign an agreement that is in the interests of Canadians, all Canadians. We have very clear bottom lines — red lines, which meant that we were not willing to sign what was offered in August.”
Diplomatic relations between Canada and the U.S. have been dicey since Carney’s government walked away from formal trade talks in August. The prime minister accused the Americans of making unreasonable last-minute demands.
In response, Washington imposed tariffs on billions of dollars in Canadian goods, and Ottawa followed up with retaliatory tariffs on American products.
“Canada has been ripping off the United States for years, OK? For years. And I had to do it. We’ll have that settled pretty soon. They’re willing to give us anything at this moment,” Trump said Sunday.
Trump has repeatedly insisted Canada has treated the United States unfairly despite the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade that was negotiated during his first term.
A spokesperson for Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office said the two sides “remain in constructive dialogue” on a “range of priorities.” The spokesperson said Canada is ready to work constructively on a mutually beneficial deal that “respects Canada’s interests.”
Trump’s trade war with Canada has been a key issue in the November midterm elections, especially in tight races. The Republicans currently control both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate but polls suggest they are in danger of losing one or both of those chambers after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Trump announced Friday he will lift some of the 50 per cent tariffs on Canada at the end of the month, while adding tariffs to dozens of new products, including Canadian garbage and sewage.
The tariff changes reportedly came at the request of Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, an eastern state on the Canada-U.S. border hit hard by the trade dispute.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2026.
-with files from David Baxter in Ottawa and Aaron Sousa in Edmonton
