Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to meet with the French president this week, showcasing efforts to strengthen energy and defence ties with the European ally.
The Prime Minister’s Office announced Carney will visit Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French territory off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, on Sept. 20 where he’ll meet with President Emmanuel Macron.
The PMO says the pair will discuss deepening the countries’ partnership in “strategic sectors,” including aerospace, energy, critical minerals, and advanced technologies such as quantum, satellites and supercomputing.
Carney’s planned visit comes as the Wall Street Journal reports the prime minister is speeding up Canada’s pivot to Europe. It’s reported he’s even suggested to European leaders that Canada take on the title: “Associate Member of the European Union.”
Global News has reached out to the PMO, Macron’s office and the European Parliament for comment.
Carney’s visit with Macron is set to take place just days after the prime minister meets with his U.K. counterpart for the first time, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Much like Macron, the two leaders are expected to discuss defence, security, energy and AI.
During his trip to Europe that begins Tuesday, Carney will also address the European Parliament in Strasbourg and attend the State of the European Union address.
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Earlier this week, the EU’s ambassador to Canada said the bloc is crafting a new partnership with Ottawa unlike anything that currently exists, but did not provide specifics.
“What we have in mind is something different from what we have with other countries,” Geneviève Tuts said in an interview Wednesday with The Canadian Press. “That will be something unique.”
That partnership is still being carved out, but Tuts said it won’t look exactly like the arrangements the EU has with its neighbours like Switzerland and the U.K.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who speaks with Carney regularly, signalled support for Canada having a stronger relationship with the EU.
“Wouldn’t it be lovely if Canada was the 28th state of the European Union rather than the 51st state of the United States,” Stubb said during a speech in June.
The idea will be discussed when Carney visits this week, an invitation Tuts said was a rare gesture for a non-European leader.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized both Carney’s trip and the report the prime minister is pursuing Canada becoming an “associate member” of the EU.
“Mark Carney could not be more out of touch,” Poilievre said Sunday in a post on X.
Poilievre went on to say any such deal would not be about diversifying trade, and questioned if European border policies would apply in Canada or if small businesses would be “buried under the red tape of Eurocrats.”
He added he would ask these questions in Parliament but said the House of Commons is on summer break until Sept. 21.
The Opposition leader called on Carney to confirm if the Wall Street Journal report was true.
“We will NEVER be the 51st U.S. state. And we will NEVER be the 28th EU state,” Poilievre said.
No deal is expected at the meeting, only discussions, but Tuts said Brussels would then consult with member states on the deal. Canada would do the same with its provinces and territories. A possible announcement could, however, come at a late-October summit.
Carney has made it no secret he wants closer economic, security and political ties with the EU as Canada’s relationship with the U.S. continues to worsen amid the trade war.
“We will be looking to use the coming months to explore a deepening of that partnership across a broad range of areas and we’ll have more to say to that (next week) in Strasbourg,” Carney told reporters in Banff, Alta., this past Thursday, where his cabinet was gathering for a planning session.
Experts have said the EU is the “most obvious partner” in diversifying Canada’s trading relationships.
Christian Leuprecht told Global News that just as Canada could benefit from sourcing more of its military purchases from Europe as it works to dramatically boost defence spending, Europe could benefit from Canada’s supply of liquefied natural gas, oil and critical minerals.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump said Canada wants to reach a deal with the U.S. “very badly” and suggested an agreement could come “fairly soon” if Ottawa addresses his concerns about agricultural trade.
—with files from Global News’ Alex Boutillier and The Canadian Press
Anonymous Numpty has a nice ring too it.
Anonymous the village idiot….what did the family and friends in U.K. call you? Pillock, Div, or Prat ?
Carney is doing exactly as he should…getting business with other countries that are not unreliable, offensive and ignorant bullies. We want contracts in pen not from signed pencil and from someone who does not honour agreements.
We the people should vote on that
@ 2:45 Anonymous – ‘Eurotrash’ is much more beneficial for the country than inbred, ignorant racists.
Does anyone recall voting to join the EU ? I sure don’t. Yet reports are that Carney has been negotiating Canada’s joining the EU. Do we still live in a free and democratic country where our parliament debates and discusses such things and then Canadians get to vote on anything like joining the EU, or do we live in a Liberal dictatorship where such things are imposed on us, without any vote from Canadians.
Maybe he could tell us what he going to trade with French
Wines are out so is farm produce dairy cheese and so forth
EU has most controlled food production even worse than Canada
We don’t have oil or gas to sell them nor any high tech or cars , airplanes train car nothing needed from here!
This just make feel good meeting with European socialist.
All (talk&meetings) – NO REAL ACTION………flying around on planes…..😳
All “talk&meetings” NO REAL ACTION……..😳
Does this PM ever stay in Canada for more than 24 hrs??
All he does does is travel!!
Clowney can’t get a deal from the USA so maybe he wants to buy more French goods.it would be funny if not so grim for Canada.
Must be the start of the New World Order that Carney and Trudeau are so fond of and using Canada as the trial.
To bad the Prime Minister can stand up to the Canadian people like he should be instead of jetting around on the taxpayer dollars just to vitriol signal that he working hard. Just another speech coming while Canadians cost of living continues to climb!
I have asked this question before and still have got no answers from the Liberals.
Name one positive thing the Liberals have done in the past 12 years as government?
Cheers all and have a positive day!
Yeah sure let’s join forces with countries that self imploded over the last decade, I’m sure Canada will fit right in.
The EU, especially France and Germany, is falling apart economically, socially and politically. Tying Canada to such a failing entity as the EU makes absolutely no sense and even exporting to the EU will be extremely costly compared to trading with the US which of course is located on the same continent. Whereas the EU is across a vast ocean.
The great liberal sell off of Canada has begun
Never stop hating, I’ve watched left destroy this country for a long time
Remember when Trudeau told our vets that they were asking for more than he could give? Well now Carney has just announced that he will be giving $40.1 million to vets …. Not Canadian vets ….. Ukranian vets !!!
I’m coming to believe this issue is more about personalities between Carney and Trump than it does with a trade deal ..
As long as the deal is good for canada, why not? More options isn’t a bad thing people.
Some of you need to have a therapy sense and tell them why you hate as much as you do. I bet you they’d tell you to go on meds and quit watching so much news from Facebook and tic tok. In fact put your phone down for a month. It would do you some good.
Any kind of adult level communication is pretty much impossible from the US these days. It’s a one boy show right now. Don’t blame these two for discussing options.
You need that like you need a hole in the head.
Don’t want to be connected to eurotrash, next thing you know they’ll be sending us ten million inbreds a year
Carney has more investments in the EU than he does in Canada so it makes sense