Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada is looking to build a “unique alliance” with the European Union, without seeking membership of the bloc, as a trade dispute with the United States continues to escalate.

Carney told reporters in Toronto on Sunday that the Canadian government would begin discussions on the arrangement, describing it as “a unique alliance with the European Union”. He said he was not pursuing formal membership.

Talks Target Deeper EU Ties

Carney said Canada and the EU share the same values and priorities, and that their strengths are “very complementary”. He added: “We’re stronger together”, saying the move comes as the world is “more dangerous and divided” and countries that share close relationships need to “stick together”.

His remarks were made as a US trade conflict between Canada and Washington has widened in recent weeks. Carney’s comments also followed a report by The Wall Street Journal that EU officials were receptive to an idea raised by Carney, under which Canada could become an “associate member” of the bloc, according to officials cited by the paper.

The Journal said Carney had instructed a special envoy to Europe to “scope out the most ambitious possibilities short of full membership”.

At the Toronto International Film Festival, Carney denied Canada was seeking a formal role inside the EU. “We share the same values. We have the same priorities, and we have very complementary strengths,” he said.

EU Parliament Visit Planned

Carney is due to travel this week to the United Kingdom and France. In France, he is scheduled to address the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

While in Europe, Carney will attend European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the European Union address. He is also due to travel to Liverpool to meet UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

The trip comes as Carney continues to promote a strategy aimed at achieving a “more independent, more resilient economy”, in response to what he described as increasingly hostile policy towards Canada from the Trump administration.

Trade War Escalates With US Tariffs

In late August, trade negotiations between Canada and the United States broke down, triggering an escalating trade war between the two countries.

The US has imposed tariffs on key Canadian industries, including steel, aluminium and lumber, and it has also introduced an additional 50% levy on roughly C$28bn (US$20bn; £15bn) of Canadian goods.

Ottawa responded by placing levies of up to 50% on about C$28bn of American products, covering sectors including steel, furniture and cotton T-shirts.

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14 September 2026

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Post-Trump Usofa is going to be knocking on many closed doors, doors which may take years or even decades to reopen.

Trust between countries is much like trust between individuals: Once broken it takes a long long time to heal.

Canada would be better off joining the BRICS

to ( at least temporally) escape the clutches of evil megalomaniacs who would have us all 'eating ze bugs'

unfortunately the leader of Canada is

firmly in the eat the bugs camp and so that won't happen,

he'll just go along with the agenda whilst appearing

(half heartedly) to resist Trump's diversion tactics.

Carney, a man with brain, not demented, moving Canada forward. ❤️

Why not full membership?

You wanted Britain to have it. Why not Canada?

Schengen zones. Adopt the Euro. Pay them Billions a year. Follow all their rules and regulations with minimal input.

What's not to like, Mark?

3 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

What's not to like, Mark?

Benefits of trade without the restrictions and regulations.

Sounds like a smart move by Carney.

2 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Benefits of trade without the restrictions and regulations.

Sounds like a smart move by Carney.

Sounds like a Unicorn.

Just now, JonnyF said:

Sounds like a Unicorn.

This guy claims the concept of "associate membership" was first considered for Ukraine and is an intermediary step to full membership.

6 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Benefits of trade without the restrictions and regulations.

Sounds like a smart move by Carney.

And not contributing billions ?

Seems like he wants what the EU should have stayed : an economic union. EEC

The European Economic Community was a regional organisation created by the

Treaty of Rome of 1957, aiming to foster economic integration among its member states.

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

This guy claims the concept of "associate membership" was first considered for Ukraine and is an intermediary step to full membership.

Zelensky rejected it. Calling it "unfair" and leaving them "voiceless". Surely the EU wouldn't be unfair, right? 😄

But anyway, why wouldn't Carney want to reap the "full rewards" of joining outright?

After all, he wanted it for Britain.

Just now, JonnyF said:

But anyway, why wouldn't Carney want to reap the "full rewards" of joining outright?

Sorry, the complexities of the EU is above my pay grade.

But as the video above linked claims, associate membership appears to be a preliminary step to full membership? Or not necessarily? I really don't know.

This guy even includes Japan and South Korea as potential "associate member".

Weird.

I will extricate myself from this conversation because it's over my head.

Not sure what all the implications are here.

5 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Zelensky rejected it. Calling it "unfair" and leaving them "voiceless".

Not sure how that works.

How many billions did the EU spend on that war?

Zelensky is only still alive because of EU maybe?

Voiceless. Lol.

Possible visa-free study and work both ways between Canada and EU.

Amazing advantages, way more mobility for Canadians !

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Possible visa-free study and work both ways between Canada and EU.

Amazing advantages, way more mobility for Canadians !

You should be more worried about what comes back in the other direction.

49 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Why not full membership?

You wanted Britain to have it. Why not Canada?

Schengen zones. Adopt the Euro. Pay them Billions a year. Follow all their rules and regulations with minimal input.

What's not to like, Mark?

Sounds like the demented US President 😂😂😂

50 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Sounds like a Unicorn.

Well, one guy is saying if Canada gets some sort of "special privilege" arrangement in the EU, other EU countries may want the same ie exit the current EU structure and demand the same type of arrangement as Canada ...

And EU fears backlash from Trump if it cozies up to Canada.

... so right now, seems like a lot of complications ....

The bully in the White house doesn't understand that the rest of the world is now creating new alliances without him.

1 hour ago, newbee2022 said:

Carney, a man with brain, not demented, moving Canada forward. ❤️

Carney is an idiot without any willpower. He is weak under the spell of his “wife” Diana fox Carney who runs the show.

He has done nothing and achieved nothing since he became Trudeau advisor in August 2020.

No countries want to deal with Canada. As long as Canada keeps its 80 marketing boards on agricultural products, Canada is closed to any imports (except from China).

People have a very short memory. In 2016 Trudeau signed an agreement with von der Leyen, for a trade deal. The agreement (CETA) was never implemented because 11 EU countries refused to ratify the deal as long as Canada kept its supply management organizations in place. During its first mandate Trump repeated twice to a Trudeau that trade barriers had to be removed before any trade deal could be signed.

These marketing boards are still in place and no prime minister had been able to abolish them. In August the new a premier of Québec Christine Fréchette made a speech during her electoral campaign before the next round of negotiations in Washington, telling Carney:” Mr.Carney, you don’t dare making any concessions regarding our supply management organizations”. He did not and in return a new Liberal MP was elected August 31st in Chicoutimi, a stronghold for the CAQ and PQ.

Canada has not been able to remove its inter-provincial trade barriers and tariffs despite decades of promises.

Canada is the tail light of the OECD countries in terms of productivity per capita. The country is in no shape to compete and win in international transactions. The country can hardly drill, dig, pick and ship raw materials that we buy back after others have added value on it. The Canadian GDP per capita is equivalent to the GDP per capita of Mississippi and the country enters its third quarter of recession, with 18% of the population considered below the poverty line. Canada lost 42,700 full time jobs in August, corporations are moving south leaving communities with no employment. Not a word of this disastrous situation in the MSM.

Edited yesterday at 03:46 AM1 day by Patrick Wahle

17 minutes ago, Patrick Wahle said:

In 2016 Trudeau signed an agreement with von der Leyen, for a trade deal. The agreement (CETA) was never implemented because 11 EU countries refused to ratify the deal as long as Canada kept its supply management organizations in place.

Hmmmmm... it appears you've had a long nap.

CETA has been provisionally implemented and active since September 2017. Over 98% of the agreement is currently in effect, which eliminated 98% to 99% of all tariffs between Canada and the EU, resulting in a massive surge in bilateral trade.

..and...

There are currently 10 EU member states out of 27 that have not fully ratified the deal at the national parliamentary level.

....and....

The primary reasons for not ratifying include:

Critics and various European parliaments fear that CETA's specialized corporate court system allows multinational corporations to sue sovereign European governments over environmental or public health regulations.

Countries like France and Italy have faced immense pushback from domestic farmers who worry about competing with Canadian agricultural standards (such as the use of certain pesticides, hormones, or GMOs).

In countries like Ireland, domestic courts ruled that parts of the treaty compromised judicial sovereignty, while in France, domestic political shifting led the Senate to reject ratification

Edited yesterday at 04:08 AM1 day by gamb00ler

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Carney told reporters in Toronto on Sunday that the Canadian government would begin discussions on the arrangement, describing it as “a unique alliance with the European Union”. He said he was not pursuing formal membership.

That sounds like a good plan.

1 hour ago, Caldera said:

That sounds like a good plan.

It will never happen.

He may as well plan for every member of BlackPink to pop round and cook him Filet Mignon, naked.

Carney just mouthing off to try to annoy Trump. Silly boy

Everyone knows the EU is the road to ruin

4 hours ago, FlorC said:

And not contributing billions ?

Seems like he wants what the EU should have stayed : an economic union. EEC

The European Economic Community was a regional organisation created by the

Treaty of Rome of 1957, aiming to foster economic integration among its member states.

Only member States contribute.

Ex. Turkey is only in the custom Union and doesn't contribute to the EU budget.

4 hours ago, save the frogs said:

Sorry, the complexities of the EU is above my pay grade.

But as the video above linked claims, associate membership appears to be a preliminary step to full membership? Or not necessarily? I really don't know.

This guy even includes Japan and South Korea as potential "associate member".

Weird.

I will extricate myself from this conversation because it's over my head.

Not sure what all the implications are here.

Not necessarily.

This a direct consequence of the difficulties in reaching consensus on every issue in the EU, by so many members. So at the core, some member states may adopt some initiatives for further integration, while others can choose to opt out.

At the periphery, more limited forms of collaboration (without voting rights) are offered, when a third country or the EU are not interested in full integration. It can also be used as a 'test bed' for potential new members.