Shortly after Canada and the U.S. became embroiled in the worst bilateral trade war in their modern history, the phones of Europe’s top leaders lit up with trans-Atlantic calls. Prime Minister Mark Carney was encouraged to take Canada’s relationship with European countries to the next level, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Canada’s relations with Washington have deteriorated sharply since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in early 2025, with disagreements on trade and other issues. The trade spat has led to tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade, Reuters reports.
For months, Prime Minister Carney had held conversations with many European leaders—from France to Italy, Germany and Scandinavia—on how to more deeply connect Canada and its 41 million people into the European Union.
Now, the Prime Minister was accelerating Canada’s connections towards Europe. The American’s threat to make Canada the 51st state is pushing Canada closer to Europe. Canada has options.
Reuters: Carney pushes idea of making Canada ‘associate member’ of EU, WSJ reports
Wall Street Journal: Mark Carney’s Audacious Bid to Make Canada an ‘Associate Member’ of the EU