Key facts
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Canada will not be dictated to by external powers regarding its relationships or culture.
- U.S. President Donald Trump threatened "serious tariffs" on the EU if Canada became an associate member.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the EU's ambition for Canada to become an associate member.
- Carney emphasized that the substance of the EU-Canada relationship is more important than nomenclature.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney asserted on Thursday that Canada will not be swayed by external pressure, particularly from U.S. President Donald Trump, regarding its deepening relationship with the European Union. Trump had threatened to impose "serious tariffs" on the EU if Canada pursued a proposed "associate membership" with the bloc.
Speaking to reporters after addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Carney stated, “Nobody is going to tell us about what language to speak, no one is going to dictate our culture, or with whom we can strike agreements.” He characterized the warming EU-Canada relationship as a "positive process" and directly responded to the U.S. president by saying, "This alliance is a positive process. That’s my response to the American president."
Carney added that a stronger, more resilient Canada would be a more effective partner for the United States. He also praised European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for her proposal to make Canada the EU's first "associate member," a concept floated in her State of the Union speech. While acknowledging the different terms used, Carney stressed that "what matters is the substance. What are we actually building together."