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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday welcomed the prospect of Canada becoming an “associate member” of the E.U., just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed the proposal as “laughable.” Addressing the European Parliament as a guest of honor in Strasbourg, France, Carney insisted “Europe and Canada are stronger together” and said “Canada and the European Union can anchor our ground to hold our values while forming a protective canopy under which our citizens can thrive.” Carney’s pivot toward Europe comes as he seeks to establish stronger international ties and curtail Canada’s reliance on the American market amid an all-out trade war. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs came into effect last week, matching the economic pressure imposed by the U.S. after negotiations collapsed last month.
Trump’s repeated threats against Canadian sovereignty and calls to make it the “51st state” have added to the months-long tension. While Carney did not directly mention Trump or his Administration while addressing European lawmakers, he appeared to make nods to the current volatility of Canada-U.S. relations and condemned economic coercions. Speaking about the "current geopolitical rupture," he said a "new dimension was needed.” “Economic integration is now being weaponized, tariffs being used to exert pressure,” he said.
Supply chains constitute weak points to be exploited.” Championing the burgeoning E.U. alliance, Carney focused on what he said were shared values between Canada and the bloc, insisting: "We are not fair-weather allies. We believe that our prosperity grows when it is shared." “I'm not proposing a third bloc in order to become a 'great power' rival, only with better manners,” Carney continued. On the contrary, we are pursuing resilience so no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity, or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law.” Carney, who began his speech in French—one of Canada’s official languages—before continuing in English, with splatterings of German, welcomed how European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had on Wednesday opened the door for Canada becoming an “associate member” of the 27-member bloc.
When speaking about forging closer ties with the E.U., Carney referenced seeking strategic autonomy through “deep co-operation in the full range of strategic capabilities, including critical minerals, defense industrial capacity, AI and compute, energy security, space and payments.” He insisted Canada and Europe must not be dependent on “individual nations or individual companies” as this “creates vulnerabilities, particularly when supposedly global companies prove national in the breach.” He also hinted at a potential freedom of movement between the E.U. and Canada that would allow “youth to work, study, and live where they want, on either side of the Atlantic.” Carney’s passionate advocacy for the deepening of ties with the E.U.—a move he says Canadians have shown they’re in support of—came after Trump lambasted the idea of a new European dawn for Canada. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Trump called the proposal “laughable” and threatened economic punishments if the E.U. moves forward with von der Leyen’s plan. "If they do that, if I think it's at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things," Trump said en route to an event in North Carolina.
"If it's a good intention, that's fine. If it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.” In response to Trump’s remarks, a European Commission spokesperson told TIME: “As president von der Leyen made clear [on Wednesday], the proposed strengthening of our partnership with Canada is not against anyone else, but for our common strength.” Carney's speech to the European Parliament came on the final day of his stay in Europe, where he sought to cement and deepen Canada’s international relationships. The E.U. is Canada’s second-largest global trading partner for goods and services, with bilateral trade worth approximately C$178.6 billion in 2025.
The Canadian leader also traveled to Liverpool, England, to meet British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The pair attended a football game and watched Everton—the team they both support—secure a victory against the Wolverhampton Wanderers. "The leaders began by underscoring the close co-operation between the U.K. and Canada and emphasized the importance of building similar close ties with European partners, particularly on trade and defence,” a Downing Street spokeswoman told TIME.
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