1. Carney says the latest talks with Trump were long and substantive
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday, November 14, 2026, that he held lengthy, substantive talks with United States President Donald Trump, and that the two countries are making progress toward a trade deal. He spoke while in the Philippines for a state visit and a meeting with Southeast Asian leaders. Reuters reported his remarks on Saturday. Carney made clear that the two sides have yet to reach an agreement. The statement is the latest sign that talks have regained momentum after a long stretch of tariffs and public friction between the two governments.
The timing matters because the dispute has weighed on both economies for months. Trade talks between Ottawa and Washington broke down in August, and the United States then imposed 50 percent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods. Canada answered with its own duties, and firms on both sides of the border have faced higher costs and shifting rules ever since. Carney has described the talks as a test of whether the two countries can settle their differences without giving up core interests. His Saturday remarks suggest the channel between the two leaders is open again.
Carney also used the trip to speak about security. He said Canada would not walk away from NATO and that the security architecture for a free Europe would be set by a free Europe and NATO, not by Russia. The remark ties trade to a wider set of issues that now sit on the table between Ottawa and Washington. It also signals that Carney wants any trade outcome to fit inside a broader alliance framework. For readers who track the file, the message is that trade talks are moving, yet they remain part of a larger negotiation about the relationship itself.
2. A November 1 call set the new round in motion
The current round of talks traces back to a call on Saturday, October 31. Carney announced the next day that he had a good conversation with Trump about the future of Canada-U.S. trade. He wrote on X that teams from both countries would work in the coming weeks to deliver an outcome. He said the discussion built on recent constructive talks about the outlines of a mutually beneficial deal. He set out three tests for any agreement. It should create jobs, improve affordability, and fully respect Canada's languages, culture, and sovereignty.
Trump struck an optimistic tone the same day. He told reporters in Iowa on November 1 that the two sides had the concept of a deal that would be great for American farmers and fine for Canada. He said the scope of a possible agreement could include the Keystone XL pipeline project. He also said American farmers would pay no tariffs on Canadian products under the arrangement under discussion. Neither side has released a text, and no final details have been confirmed. The gap between public optimism and a signed document remains the central fact of the story.
The November 1 exchange came two days before the November 3 midterm elections in the United States, when voters decided control of Congress. The timing gave both leaders a reason to show progress, and it also raised the stakes for any deal that follows. Carney has said Ottawa will not accept terms that cross its red lines in order to settle the dispute fast. Trump has said a deal could come soon. The two statements can both be true, and they point to the same conclusion: talks are active, yet the terms are still open.
3. Washington drops two demands as tariffs stay in place
On Tuesday, November 3, Carney spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a Commonwealth leaders meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. He said the talks had become more productive, though major differences remain. "We have made progress," he said. He added that Washington is asking for less and offering more, while the two sides are not quite there yet. The comment is the clearest public signal so far that the United States has moved its position since the August breakdown. It also shows that Carney wants to manage expectations while talks continue.
Carney said Washington has withdrawn some earlier demands. One would have given the United States a final say over trade deals that Canada might seek with other countries. Another touched Canadian rules that promote French-language programming on digital streaming services such as Netflix. Carney said those demands are now off the table, and he called the shift very welcome. The change matters because it removes two issues that cut close to Canadian sovereignty. It does not settle the file. It clears space for talks about the duties that now shape costs for exporters.
Those duties remain the hard core of the dispute. The United States applies Section 232 duties of up to 25 percent on automobiles and 50 percent on certain steel products. Canada has faced 50 percent U.S. tariffs on a range of goods since talks broke down in August. Canada is the only Group of Seven country without a deal that offers relief from the tariffs Trump imposed in his second term. Until a text is published and confirmed, firms cannot assume that any tariff has been removed or that market access has changed.
4. What to watch before any deal is signed
No timeline has been given for a completed agreement. Both leaders have described the current stage as the concept of a deal rather than a finished text. Canadian officials have said negotiators will keep working in the coming weeks. Carney has confirmed plans to meet Trump later in November in China during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, and that meeting could give the talks another push. For now, the work sits with officials who must turn broad outlines into terms that both governments can defend at home.
Carney has been careful about what a deal would be worth. He has said Canada's negotiating position has not shifted, and that any progress has come because Washington is moving closer to Canada's demands. He has also said he cannot be certain that a signed agreement would be honoured. That caution reflects the record of the past year, when talks collapsed and tariffs followed. It also sets a test for any announcement. A deal that lacks firm terms or clear enforcement may not change much for exporters, even if it changes the tone in public.
Ottawa has also kept a second track open. Carney has said Canada's goal is to double exports outside the United States over the next decade, and Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc's office has said Canada remains in constructive dialogue with Washington. The diversification goal does not replace the U.S. relationship, which remains by far Canada's largest market. It does give Ottawa more room to refuse terms it sees as harmful. Readers should watch three signals next: the APEC meeting, any published text, and any change in the tariff schedule itself.