Carney to Trump: No one tells Canadians what to do
Canada’s warming relationship with the EU “is a positive” process and Ottawa will not be cowed into abandoning the relationship, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday.
Carney’s comment came after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to slap “serious tariffs” on the EU if Canada became an associate member, an idea floated by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union speech on Wednesday.
“This alliance is a positive process. That’s my response to the American president,” Carney told reporters at a press conference after delivering his own speech to the European Parliament on Thursday. He added that “a stronger, more resilient Canada would be a more effective partner for the United States.”
“Canadians are united that nobody is going to tell us what language to speak,” Carney continued, nodding to reports that the White House had sought to interfere with the French language spoken in Quebec. “No one is going to dictate our culture, or with whom we can strike agreements.”
Von der Leyen’s proposal to make Canada the EU’s first “associate member” left capitals scrambling and seemed to take even Ottawa by surprise. [Continue reading…]
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has told Euronews that countries including Australia and New Zealand could follow Canada in becoming “associate members” of the European Union as like-minded nations seek closer ties.
Speaking exclusively to Europe Today ahead of a speech by Canadian Prime MInister Mark Carny on Thursday, Metsola described the proposed status as a third way between full EU membership and candidate status.
“There are countries with which we want to deepen our relationship,” Metsola said.
“I don’t doubt that it will include other countries, and others will come knocking at our door…In such times of uncertainty, having friends matters.”
The EU already has trade agreements with both countries, providing a potential starting point for closer cooperation. A similar relationship has been proposed with Canada, which signed a comprehensive trade agreement with the EU in 2016. [Continue reading…]
The Fourcast asks: Can Trump block Canada’s Europe alliance?