Carney Seeks EU-Canada Alliance Without Full Membership

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