The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.GSPTSE> ended down 129.19 points, or 0.84 percent, at 15,313.13.

Of the index's 10 main groups, only the typically defensive telecoms and utilities sectors ended in positive territory, while gold miners also gained as bullion benefited from a weaker U.S. dollar.

"This is the bloom off the rose," said Niall Brown, a portfolio manager at Morgan Meighen & Associates, referring to the legislative battle Trump faces to overhaul the healthcare law known as Obamacare before turning his attention to the tax system and business regulations.

"The market is suddenly realizing maybe things aren't going to get enacted in as business-friendly a manner as he was hoping," he said. "The North American banks certainly took a good ding today as a result."

Canada's heavyweight financials group fell 1.2 percent, adding to losses from the prior two sessions, with insurer Manulife Financial Corp (>> Manulife Financial Corp.) shedding 4 percent to C$23.04 and Toronto-Dominion Bank (>> Toronto-Dominion Bank) off 1.2 percent at C$64.84.

Energy stocks fell 1.6 percent, as concerns about new supply pushed U.S. crude down to its lowest since November. [O/R]

The most influential gainers on the index included Barrick Gold Corp (>> Barrick Gold Corp), which advanced 2.1 percent to C$25.99.

The world's largest gold producer said a World Bank arbitration tribunal had ruled in favor of it and joint venture partner Antofagasta plc (>> Antofagasta plc) over a copper project in Pakistan.

Endeavour Mining Corp (>> Endeavour Mining Corp) gained 6.4 percent to C$24.91 after the gold miner said it had ended discussions with London-based Acacia Mining Plc (>> Acacia Mining PLC) regarding a potential merger.

Other gold miners also gained, as the bullion price rallied to its highest in nearly three weeks. [GOL/]

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd (>> Ivanhoe Mines Ltd) jumped 9.3 percent to C$4.70 after it said it had discovered more copper at its mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But several base metal miners featured on the negative side of the ledger as copper prices fell, with First Quantum Minerals Ltd (>> First Quantum Minerals Limited) down 5.8 percent to C$13.59 and Lundin Mining Corp  (>> Lundin Mining Corporation) falling 5.2 percent to C$7.64.

The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, ended flat overall.

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Nick Zieminski and James Dalgleish)

By Alastair Sharp