Trade negotiations between Canada and the United States are set to drag on well past the initial hopes of an early resolution, with key players now calling mid-2026 an unlikely target and warning the process could slip into 2027. In an interview on The Hub’s Alberta Edge podcast, US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith both acknowledged momentum around the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) review has slowed. Hoekstra pointed to the formal comment period now underway, during which businesses and the public in both countries are submitting feedback on how the accord is working. He said this essentially eliminates any chance of a quick, major deal. Trade departments will then have to sift through the submissions and approach what he called the “painstaking” next stage. …The timeline collides directly with US midterm elections in 2026, making Senate ratification anything but a guarantee.