Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada could wait for another U.S. administration to reach a trade deal, leaving tariffs unresolved as he rejected allegations of Canadian interference in the U.S. midterm elections.
Carney said Ottawa had no intention of interfering in the Nov. 3 U.S. vote. “There is no merit to these claims,” Carney told reporters in Turkey while on an official visit, Reuters reported. He said he was disappointed that U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra viewed raising the allegations as part of his role.
In a statement Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Canada said Ottawa was dismissing concerns about the vote and that Canadian ministers and premiers were “openly describing plans to influence American politics.” In a podcast interview a week earlier, Hoekstra urged Canadians to “keep your nose out of American politics.”
The accusations add to strained bilateral relations after Canada ended negotiations in late August, citing unreasonable U.S. demands. The talks were partly aimed at reducing tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump had imposed on Canadian goods.
Carney said he did not expect Trump to add tariffs in response to a poor midterm result. Reuters noted that polling pointed to Republican losses as a possibility in a vote that will determine which party controls Congress.
Carney said a delay of months or longer — even until another administration — would be acceptable if it produced a proper deal. Earlier, he said Washington could set the pace and Canada could sign quickly if the United States was ready, provided an agreement worked for both sides. EconoTimes covered Canada’s earlier position on trade-deal timing.
Reuters tied the Turkey visit to Carney’s goal of reducing Canada’s economic dependence on the United States. The next scheduled political milestone is the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm election.
