Ottawa will continue to promote Canadian interests regardless of U.S. midterm results: Trudeau

The prime minister and his cabinet will be closely watching the results as Americans go to the polls in the U.S. midterm elections.

Justin Trudeau said his government has been working with officials from both parties over the last few years and will continue to after Tuesday’s election.

Some cabinet ministers said they are excited to see what happens, but Infrastructure Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the government’s approach won’t change regardless of the end result.

“We’ll be watching, but the point is we’ve been working with both houses and continuing to promote Canadian interests,” he explained.

But Transport Minister Marc Garneau, who heads the Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations, Trade Diversification and Internal Trade, has a different view.

“I think this is a historical and very, very important midterm election and I think there can be important ramifications,” he said.

This vote is considered a referendum on President Donald Trump, and if the Democrats win one of the houses, it could significantly impact the legislative agenda of the White House.

Canada is pressuring the Trump administration to scrap tariffs on steel and aluminum now that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been reached.