Caught between a fraying alliance to the south and an uncertain horizon to the east, Canada finds itself at a rare geopolitical crossroads. As US tariffs bite and trust erodes, European Commission President von der Leyen has extended an unusual invitation — associate membership in the EU — and Prime Minister Carney has traveled to Strasbourg to answer it. The moment reflects something older than trade policy: a nation reconsidering not just its economic partnerships, but its sense of kinship and belonging in the world.