BRUSSELS — Ursula von der Leyen’s handling of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit has turned into an awkward diplomatic mess, with one leading MEP branding her conduct “unacceptable.” Carney will be watching as the Commission president speaks to MEPs on Wednesday, and will address the same crowd a day later. However, a scheduling clash meant von der Leyen was planning to return to Brussels after the State of the European Union — meaning she would miss Carney’s speech — before her team made a last-minute U-turn Monday night and announced she would stay in Strasbourg. Canada’s Ambassador-designate to the EU Jonathan Wilkinson confirmed Ottawa had asked von der Leyen to be present for Carney’s speech.
Speculation has swirled that Canada is seeking “associate membership” in the EU — even though no such status exists. Carney has denied pursuing such a standing, while a Canadian official, granted anonymity to speak freely, said it had actually been a European suggestion. The back-and-forth started with a simple scheduling problem.
Von der Leyen had been supposed to meet Carney in Strasbourg on Tuesday, according to an EU official. That meeting was pushed to Wednesday, the official said. There was an aligning of schedules — so now we will spend an extra night here.” Carney has positioned himself as the leader of a coalition of “middle power” nations in opposition to larger countries wielding hard power, including the United States.
It was thus a coup for von der Leyen when the Canadian PM announced he would make the 6,000-kilometer trek to Strasbourg to watch her speech and address the European Parliament. Canada, a resource-rich nation of 40 million and a $2.5 trillion economy that is part of the G7, is seen as a natural geopolitical partner for the EU as both sides seek to navigate an increasingly volatile world. While von der Leyen doesn’t typically attend the speeches of other leaders in the European Parliament hemicycle, she has done so before, namely with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2024.
That precedent explains why MEPs and EU officials reacted with shock when von der Leyen said she would snub Carney’s speech for a press conference on child safety in Brussels. The brush-off was “weird,” one EU official noted. Belgian MEP Kathleen Van Brempt said: “Really, von der Leyen?
That’s more than bad manners. It’s unacceptable.” Even European Parliament President Roberta Metsola weighed in. The scheduling drama came after a bout of confusion over what the EU-Canada relationship is becoming.
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