Strasbourg (France), September 18, 2026, BNN Web Staff: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said a proposed deeper partnership between Canada and the European Union is not intended to create a new geopolitical bloc or challenge the United States, as Washington warns of possible tariffs over the initiative.
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Carney described the proposed Canada-EU partnership as an effort to strengthen economic and political resilience while protecting national sovereignty and democratic institutions.
“I’m not proposing a third bloc in order to become a great power rival, only with better manners,” Carney told European lawmakers.
Carney said the proposed alliance would focus on resilience rather than self-sufficiency and would seek to ensure that countries could protect their open markets, sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedoms and democratic systems.
His remarks came a day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed that Canada become the European Union’s first “associate member”. The designation does not currently exist within the EU framework, according to CNN.
Carney welcomed the proposal but stressed that Canada was not seeking full EU membership. He said Canadian lawmakers would debate and eventually vote on the final structure of any new arrangement with the bloc.
“This is an opportunity to make Canada stronger, more sovereign, more independent, more prosperous, more sustainable,” Carney said.
The proposed partnership comes as Canada faces an ongoing trade dispute with the United States, its largest trading partner. The EU has also been involved in trade disputes with Washington.
US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that Washington could impose “heavy tariffs” on the European Union if he determines that any new Canada-EU agreement amounts to a hostile act.
“If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe, which is a possibility,” Trump told reporters.
Beyond trade and economic cooperation, Carney highlighted defence, youth mobility and closer people-to-people ties between Canada and Europe. He proposed greater opportunities for young people to work, study and live on either side of the Atlantic.
Carney described the proposed partnership as an alliance based on shared democratic values, international law, freedom, solidarity, prosperity and sustainability.
