US, Canada unlikely to reach trade deal before midterms

The absence of a timeline or revised deadline is the tell here: talks are effectively parked rather than paused, and parking them ahead of an election signals political caution rather than technical deadlock. For cross-border supply chains and sectors covered by the trilateral pact with Mexico, the practical effect is extended uncertainty on rules and terms, with Mexico now a variable in how the three-way framework evolves. Whether talks resume promptly after the midterms, and whether a revised deadline emerges at all, is the open question worth tracking.