Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded positively to the European Union's offer of associate membership, saying Canada and Europe are stronger together.
Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on the 17th, Carney said of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's associate membership proposal that polls show an overwhelming majority of Canadians support closer ties with Europe, and described an alliance for the future as a unique and positive approach that the two sides will define together.
He added that Canada holds more than 34 critical minerals and that the partnership could meet the stable supply Europe needs, the advanced processing capacity Canada wants, and a shared goal of completing value chains in the energy transition and defense sectors. Carney previously served as governor of the Bank of England.
Von der Leyen had extended the offer in her annual policy address the previous day, asking Canada to become the EU's first associate member. Associate membership is a newly created status that does not currently exist in EU treaties. Von der Leyen said Europe wants to elevate its relationship with Canada to the highest possible level.
Carney said, however, that further definition is needed of what associate membership means. While arguing for integration across trade, defense, critical minerals and other areas so that neither side is shaken by economic and geopolitical pressure, he drew a line, saying Canada is not pursuing full EU membership.
He also took aim at U.S. President Donald Trump, who has launched indiscriminate retaliation as trade tensions with Canada escalate, including bans on imports of Canadian dairy products, alcoholic beverages and motorcycles. Carney said societies today are caught in new storms such as upheaval from climate change, the erosion of democratic norms and trade used as a weapon, and that the multilateral institutions they had relied on have weakened. Sovereignty and openness are difficult to reconcile today, he said, adding that economic integration is now used as a weapon and tariffs as a means of pressure.
"We are not seeking the power to dominate other countries," he said, stressing that the aim is to secure resilience so that no one can control Canada's open markets, infringe on its sovereignty, or threaten its territory, freedom, democracy and rule of law.
Trump has also signaled the possibility of further retaliation over the prospect of Canadian associate membership in the EU, saying he would impose very high tariffs or halt trade with Europe on a range of items. In response, Carney showed he would not yield to the threats, saying a stronger and more resilient Canada would be a more effective partner for the United States.
Canada and the EU will hold an EU-Canada summit chaired by Carney in Montreal on Oct. 29-30, where they plan to discuss the initiative in greater detail.
