The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, has responded this Thursday to the warnings from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, about Ottawa's approach to the European Union, claiming full Canadian sovereignty to set its alliances and emphasizing that "no one" will impose their culture on Canadians nor dictate with whom they can sign international agreements.
"No one is going to tell us what language we speak. No one is going to dictate our culture nor with whom we can close international agreements," Carney declared at a press conference alongside the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, after his speech before the plenary of the European Parliament gathered in Strasbourg (France).
With these words, the Canadian head of government responded when directly asked about Trump's latest threats regarding the strengthening of the relationship between Canada and the EU, after the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed that the North American country become "the first associated member" of the community bloc.
Carney explained that Ottawa seeks "partnerships that are complementary" and that "strengthen" its sovereignty, stressing that this is exactly "what is being offered" with the new relationship that Canada and the EU want to articulate. "This is something positive. It is about building," he emphasized.
At the same time, he denied that the approach to Brussels implies a deterioration of ties with Washington, insisting that a stronger Canada will also be "a better partner for the United States." "It will make Europe stronger, it will make Canada stronger," he stated.
Carney's words come just hours after the U.S. President, Donald Trump, threatened to impose "very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe" if Von der Leyen's offer succeeds, interpreting it as a "hostile act" towards the United States.
Trump reiterated that he would apply "very severe" levies on the EU, although he specified that he would only take that step if he believes that Brussels is acting "with bad intentions." "If it is with good intentions, that's fine," he clarified, without specifying what criteria would mark that difference.
Canada rules out being a full member of the EU
Asked whether he finds the idea of becoming an "associated member" of the EU acceptable —a figure that does not exist in the community legal framework and whose proposal surprised several European capitals—, Carney made it clear that Ottawa does not intend to transform into a full member of the bloc.
"Canada is neither in a position nor seeks to become a full member of the European Union. Therefore, it is a different framework," the prime minister clarified, emphasizing that, beyond the label adopted, the essential thing is "the substance" of the future alliance.
In this line, he detailed that both parties are still in the initial phase of defining this new "alliance for the future," and he advanced that the final architecture of the agreement must "of course" be submitted to a vote in the Canadian Parliament.
Carney also revealed that "quite a bit of preparation" had already been done for this new stage, with prior contacts between Canadian special envoy John Hannaford and his European counterparts, as well as conversations by Carney himself with Metsola and with the presidents of the Commission and the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa.
The next key meeting to shape this new relationship will be the EU-Canada summit scheduled for October 29 and 30 in Montreal. "It is an exciting moment because it represents an opportunity, speaking from Canada's perspective, to make our country stronger, more sovereign, more independent, more prosperous, and more sustainable," he concluded.