Canada and Europe ‘stronger together,’ Carney says amid spat with US
Carney Urges Canada and EU to Deepen Partnership in Strasbourg Address
Tyunews.com – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney used a speech at the European Parliament on Thursday to press for a closer relationship between Canada and the European Union, portraying cooperation across the Atlantic as increasingly important during a period of diplomatic and trade friction with the Trump administration in the United States.
Speaking in Strasbourg, France, on Sept. 17, 2026, Carney told European lawmakers that Canada and the EU have a strong case for expanding their partnership in practical areas ranging from trade and technology to defense, energy and critical resources.
“Canada and Europe are each strong. Canada and Europe are stronger together.”
Carney’s visit came as European leaders consider a new institutional arrangement that could make Canada the European Union’s first “associate member.” The proposal would represent an effort to elevate an already close relationship at a time when governments on both sides of the Atlantic are reassessing economic security, supply chains and geopolitical partnerships.
A partnership built around complementary strengths
The prime minister said Canada and Europe should move quickly to turn their shared interests into deeper cooperation. In his view, their respective strengths can reinforce one another: differences offer complementarity, while common capabilities can create greater scale.
“Where our strengths differ, they complement. Where they overlap, they create scale. We should build on each other’s strengths -- deliberately, systematically and rapidly.”
Carney identified several fields where he believes closer coordination would be especially valuable. They include critical minerals, defense-industrial capacity, artificial intelligence and computing, energy security, and space. Each area has become more prominent in policy discussions as countries seek to reduce vulnerabilities in strategically important industries and infrastructure.
Canada holds major reserves of minerals needed for technologies such as batteries, renewable-energy equipment and advanced electronics. European governments, meanwhile, have been working to secure more resilient access to key materials and diversify supply chains. A closer Canada-EU relationship could therefore align resource development, industrial demand and shared security concerns.
Defense production was also among the areas highlighted by Carney. European countries have placed renewed emphasis on industrial capacity and collective security in recent years, while Canada remains a longstanding transatlantic security partner. Carney’s remarks suggested that cooperation should extend beyond political consultation to the ability to produce, develop and sustain strategic capabilities.
Trade, mobility and digital connections
Alongside strategic industries, Carney called for less friction in commercial exchange. He advocated movement toward smooth digital trade in non-agricultural products and across a broad set of services. Such an approach could help businesses operate more easily between Canada and European markets, particularly in sectors where digital systems, data flows and professional services play an important role.
He also emphasized personal connections between the two regions. Carney proposed stronger people-to-people ties that would give younger Canadians and Europeans greater freedom to work, study and live on either side of the Atlantic. Student exchanges, professional opportunities and mobility arrangements can support economic links while also creating lasting cultural and institutional relationships.
The appeal was not framed as an attempt to establish a competing geopolitical camp. Carney joked that he was not seeking to create another bloc to serve as a great-power rival, “only with better manners,” drawing laughter from members in the chamber.
He did not name the United States or President Donald Trump directly during the address. Still, the broader context was clear: Canada is navigating an ongoing dispute with the Trump administration involving both diplomacy and trade, while European leaders are also looking for ways to strengthen partnerships with like-minded countries.
Resilience rather than dominance
Carney argued that the objective should be greater resilience, not power over other countries. He said cooperation should help open economies protect their ability to make independent decisions and uphold democratic institutions.
“We do not seek power to dominate others.”
“On the contrary, we are pursuing resilience so no one -- no one -- can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity, or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law.”
That language places economic policy alongside questions of sovereignty and democratic stability. It reflects a wider concern among governments that trade relationships, technology dependencies and access to energy or industrial inputs can carry political consequences when they become overly concentrated.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had signaled support for taking Canada-EU cooperation further a day earlier in Strasbourg. She said the relationship should be brought to its highest possible level and proposed opening the door for Canada to become the EU’s first associate member.
“We want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible. We must urgently reimagine our partnerships.”
Whether the associate-member idea advances will depend on negotiations and political agreement within the European Union and with Canada. But Carney’s address underscored the direction he wants that relationship to take: faster, broader and more structured cooperation between partners who see shared value in open markets, democratic governance and stronger strategic independence.
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