U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Mark Carney following the Liberal Party’s election victory and the two men agreed to meet in person shortly.

“President Trump congratulated Prime Minister Carney on his recent election,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout of the call.

“The leaders agreed on the importance of Canada and the United States working together – as independent, sovereign nations – for their mutual betterment,” the statement said.

“To that end, the leaders agreed to meet in person in the near future.”

The White House, however, signalled that Mr. Trump’s campaign to absorb Canada will continue.

In a statement issued Tuesday, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the Canadian election “does not affect President Trump’s plan to make Canada America’s cherished 51st state.”

At a briefing for right-wing influencers, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr. Trump was “truthing, all the way” and not trolling about taking over Canada. “And the Canadians would benefit greatly, let me tell you that.”

Meanwhile, the new U.S. ambassador to Canada also congratulated Mr. Carney on his Liberal election victory and said Washington and Ottawa now have “a big job ahead of us” as both countries prepare for negotiations on a new economic and security relationship.

It was Pete Hoekstra’s first official statement as ambassador. He presented his letters of credence to Governor-General Mary Simon Tuesday, which enables him to formally begin his duties as U.S. envoy in Canada.

Canada-U.S. relations have soured since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office and targeted Canadian goods with tariffs and threatened to use economic force to annex Canada, saying this country could not exist without the support of the United States.

Late last month, Mr. Carney and Mr. Trump agreed to begin comprehensive talks on a revised economic and security relationship following Canada’s April 28 federal election.

“We’ve got a big job ahead of us – reviewing and strengthening our strong trading partnership, securing our borders, confronting the deadly threat of fentanyl to our citizens, building our national security co-operation, and fulfilling our alliance commitments,” Mr. Hoekstra said in a statement.

“We must also invest in defending North America economically and militarily for the next century.”

The Trump administration on Tuesday signalled an apparent climbdown on part of its auto sector tariff campaign against foreign trading partners, with news outlets reporting that the administration is scaling back a May 3 plan to put levies on Canadian and Mexican auto parts that are compliant with USMCA rules, they said.

As he left the White House on Tuesday afternoon to fly to a rally in Michigan marking 100 days in office, Mr. Trump told reporters there was no update on negotiations with Canada.

One Liberal insider said the government’s next steps will include a concerted effort to change the White House’s mind on continuing its trade war with Canada. Some of that will entail inflicting economic pain through retaliatory tariffs, co-ordinating with other countries hit by Mr. Trump’s tariffs and building relationships with pro-trade U.S. politicians who can turn up the pressure inside the country.

The Globe and Mail agreed not to identify the insider to learn details of Mr. Carney’s strategy.

The Prime Minister is open to sitting down with Mr. Trump, the source said, but it was unclear at this point what such discussions would look like. The President has so far not defined any specific demands from Canada aside from having the country become a U.S. state, which Mr. Carney and Canadians have roundly rejected.

Late last year, Mr. Trump pressed Canada to step up security at the border, which then-prime minister Justin Trudeau did, but Mr. Trump imposed tariffs anyway.

The Liberal insider said Mr. Carney will look to fortify the Canadian economy by removing internal trade barriers, building housing and directing money raised by reciprocal tariffs into programs to help industries hurt by the trade war.

Bloc Québecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet called on federal party leaders to provide parliamentary stability until Mr. Carney concludes talks with the Trump administration on new economic and security arrangements.

Mr. Blanchet, whose separatist party lost 12 seats in Quebec largely at the expense of the Liberals, said Mr. Trump’s tariff war requires political leaders to set aside political differences for the greater good of the country.

“They should meet and establish the terms of a period where we will not be looking to score points,” he told reporters Tuesday. “I believe Canadians and Quebecers expect the new House of Commons that it should be stable and responsible for (the) duration of the negotiations.”

Mr. Blanchet said he could see a scenario where political collaboration with the Carney-led government could last up to a year or more until an agreement is reached with the Americans.

In his victory speech, the Prime Minister also vowed to seek new trading relationships around the world to lessen Canadian dependence on the U.S. market, which currently consumes three-quarters of Canada’s exports.

“The system of open global trade anchored by the United States, a system that Canada has relied on since the Second World War, a system that, while not perfect, has helped deliver prosperity for our country for decades, is over,” he said. “We have to look out for ourselves.”

With a report from the Associated Press.