U.S. President Donald Trump says Canada and the United States have « the concept of a very good deal » and are « very close » to reaching a trade agreement. Trump made the remarks to reporters in Iowa on Sunday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on social media that he had a « good conversation » with Trump about the future of trade between the two countries. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office said the conversation took place on Saturday. Carney said a mutually beneficial deal would create jobs for workers, improve affordability for families, and respect Canada's languages, culture and sovereignty.
Carney said Canadian teams would work in the coming weeks to deliver that outcome. The conversation comes ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections in the United States, where the Canada-U.S. trade dispute has become an issue for some candidates.
Trump told reporters the Keystone XL pipeline project was part of the negotiations and said Canada would pay for « all of it ». He added that the route had largely been determined. In August, Trump had posted on his Truth Social platform that the two countries « have a DEAL! »
Trump said the United States had been losing money for many years in its trade with Canada. He said the proposed arrangement would be great for American farmers and for the country, and would be fine for Canada too. Trump described the Keystone XL project as a win in the trade talks, a position he had already set out publicly in August.
Carney's office has not provided further details of the terms under discussion. The Prime Minister's remarks on Sunday were limited to the aims of the talks, and no agreement has been announced.