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Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was pleased to hear about the Democrats’ victory in Tuesday’s U.S midterm elections, adding he hopes it leads to better trade relations for Canada and the province.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Ford told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.
“I was doing cartwheels down the street. I was jumping up and down when the results were coming in,” he said.
The Democrats won several Senate seats previously held by Republicans and flipped more than two dozen congressional districts, taking control of both the House and the Senate.
The results mean U.S. President Donald Trump will have to work with Democrats to get work done through Congress, reducing the power he’ll have during his last two years in office.
Trump has begun backpedalling following the losses, shifting blame elsewhere but also pledging to work with the Democrats. Ford says this is a victory for Canadians and the rest of the world.
Ford told reporters the loss for the Republicans shows the American people are frustrated by the cost of living, which is exacerbated by U.S. tariffs on Canada.
“President Trump has to start listening,” he said. “Let’s do everything we can to get rid of these tariffs and show prosperity in both countries.”
Ford will send cabinet to U.S. to meet new members
Ford said the trade war is still ongoing, but the Democrats’ victory is an opportunity to build relationships in hopes of striking a better deal for Canada.
He says he has directed his cabinet to head to the United States once the new members are sworn in to build relationships and de-escalate the trade war.
The Democrats held their seats in Michigan, which Ford said is Ontario’s number one trading partner. Ford said the state’s auto sector has been hit hard by the trade tensions with Canada and he’s ready to work with the new senator, Abdul El-Sayed, and Governor Jocelyn Benson.
WATCH | Democrats take the Senate and the House in U.S. midterm election:
The National | Democrats take House and Senate in U.S. midterms
Nov. 3, 2026 | Democrats flip key Republican strongholds as they retake both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in midterm elections widely seen as a scathing rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“The new senator wants one thing. He wants jobs, he wants prosperity, he wants economic growth in Michigan, and so does the new governor,” said Ford. “We’re going to continue building a great relationship.”
When asked to share his candid thoughts on the loss for Trump’s party, Ford said he was “happy as punch.”
“I can’t stand the guy,” he said before leaving the conference.
Results don’t guarantee better trade prospects: experts
Drew Fagan, a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, said the midterm results mark a “full repudiation” of Trump.
The war in Iran and tariffs likely contributed to his dip in popularity, said Fagan. “The sensibility that he’s not for the public, he’s for himself, damaged [Republicans] hugely,” he said.
Fagan said tariffs are usually the responsibility of Congress, but that Trump has used national security measures to take over that decision making.
“How hard the Democrats, who are protectionists for the most part, push back against Trump now is an open question,” said Fagan.
Ryan Hurl, an assistant political science professor at the University of Toronto, said it’s unlikely there will be any transformations of U.S. trade policy in the short-term.
“It’s possible that Congress could attempt to pass new trade bills, but those are going to be subjected to the presidential veto,” said Hurl.
He said there are also differing opinions on trade within the Democratic party.
“The Democrats are not simply the party of free trade, even if they are a party that does not want to have antagonism with Canada,” he said.