Canada is seeking a “unique alliance” with the European Union but has no plans to join the bloc, Prime Minister Mark Carney said as Ottawa looks to strengthen ties with other trading partners amid escalating tensions with the United States.
“We’re not looking to become a member of the European Union,” Carney told reporters at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday.
“What we are looking — and will begin discussions for — is a unique alliance between Canada and the European Union,” he said, adding that both sides share the same values and priorities while having complementary strengths.
Carney’s comments followed a Wall Street Journal report that Canada and the EU were exploring a possible associate membership arrangement, including closer cooperation and freer movement for goods, services and workers involved in strategic supply chains.
The Globe and Mail separately reported that the EU, rather than Carney, had raised the idea of associate membership, citing an unnamed source who said any discussion over a formal title for the relationship was premature.
The European Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Carney is due to travel to France and Britain next week, where he will address the European Parliament in Strasbourg and attend EU President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address.
Canada and the EU are reportedly discussing closer cooperation in areas including energy, artificial intelligence, defence and critical minerals. Other proposals include underwater cables, data centres, cloud storage, satellite networks and infrastructure to transport Canadian energy to Europe.
Carney has also discussed the possibility of allowing Canadians to live and work visa-free in the EU with several European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron.
The push for closer European ties comes as Canada’s trade relationship with the US deteriorates. The dispute has involved tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade.
US President Donald Trump again criticised Canada on Sunday, calling it “the worst country to deal with” while saying he believed Ottawa was “dying to make a deal”.
Trump also reiterated plans to impose new tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks and auto parts from Jan 1.
Any deeper Canada-EU arrangement could face challenges, however, with previous efforts to strengthen economic ties having encountered resistance in Europe. The EU-Canada trade agreement has yet to be ratified by several member states despite being provisionally in force since 2017.
Reuters
