France’s Macron and Canada’s Carney announce plans to build stronger ties

Canada and France said they will pursue closer cooperation across a range of strategic sectors, including energy, defence and space, reflecting what both leaders described as shared values. The announcement was made during a joint media conference on the French archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which lies about 25km off Newfoundland. President Emmanuel Macron framed the initiative as a continuation of historical ties between the two countries, noting linguistic and colonial links and saying both nations view current global issues from similar perspectives. Standing alongside him, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasized mutual priorities around protecting sovereignty, listing access to artificial intelligence, space capabilities, semiconductors, critical minerals and clean energy among areas that require strengthened collaboration. The timing of the pact coincides with Canada’s stated desire to reduce economic dependence on the United States amid an ongoing trade dispute. Carney reiterated that Canada seeks a closer relationship with the European Union based on common principles; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week proposed exploring a form of ‘associate membership’ for Canada short of full EU accession. The leaders’ remarks come amid heightened tensions between Ottawa and Washington. The Trump administration has threatened harsh measures and has already imposed tariffs of up to 50% on nearly $20bn of Canadian goods, prompting Canadian retaliatory duties. US President Donald Trump has criticized Canada’s overtures toward the EU as “laughable” and warned of possible heavy tariffs if he judged closer Canada–EU ties to be hostile.