Canada’s Carney welcomes EU’s associated membership proposal

In a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed support for the European Commission’s proposal to explore associate membership for Canada. Carney said Canada 'welcomes' President Ursula von der Leyen’s ambition and described the potential partnership as a cooperative alliance rooted in shared democratic values rather than an attempt to form a rival power bloc. Carney emphasized that the intent is to strengthen resilience and prevent any single actor from controlling open markets or undermining sovereignty, freedoms, democracies and the rule of law. He stressed that Canada and Europe are individually strong but would be stronger together and reiterated that the proposal is not aimed at dominating others. The prime minister outlined specific domains where he wants to deepen collaboration, naming critical minerals, defence industrial capacity, artificial intelligence and compute, energy security, space and payments. He also advocated for moves toward 'seamless digital trade' and easier work and study mobility for young people on both sides of the Atlantic. The proposal and Carney’s backing come amid broader geopolitical pressure including trade friction with the United States and competition from China. U.S. President Donald Trump warned he could respond with steep tariffs or reduced trade with Europe if he viewed the initiative as hostile. The European Commission has defended the proposal as strengthening partnership rather than targeting any third party, according to an EC spokesperson, Olof Gill.