In Montreal, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has come to see the country's long reliance on its southern neighbor as a vulnerability it must now address, and he is reaching toward Europe to balance it. Speaking after talks with European leaders, he framed the push for a closer bond, including an unprecedented 'associate membership,' as an act of building rather than withdrawing, a way of deepening ties with like-minded partners while still honoring a relationship with the United States that he admits will be difficult to replace. Whether that vision finds its name and its shape in Berlin a
Carney Says Canada Is Overdependent on US, Pushes Closer EU Ties Under 'Associate Membership'
"It's not against somebody. It's for."
In Montreal, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has come to see the country's long reliance on its southern neighbor as a vulnerability it must now address, and he is reaching toward Europe to balance it. Speaking after talks with European leaders, he framed the push for a closer bond, including an unprecedented 'associate membership,' as an act of building rather than withdrawing, a way of deepening ties with like-minded partners while still honoring a relationship with the United States that he admits will be difficult to replace. Whether that vision finds its name and its shape in Berlin and Brussels remains an open question.
On a Friday in Montreal, after a day of talks with European Union leaders, Prime Minister Mark Carney sat down with DW's Katharina Kroll at the Port of Montreal Tower and delivered a plain verdict: Canadians have learned that their country leans too heavily on the United States. He said Canada must strengthen itself at home and widen its partnerships with like-minded nations abroad.
The visiting delegation, led by Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, brought a proposal on the table: a closer partnership with the bloc, including a idea von der Leyen has floated called 'associate membership.' The term is not welcomed everywhere. Germany's government under Friedrich Merz is resisting it, but Carney favors it, describing it as the closest possible partnership short of full membership, something geography rules out for Canada.
Asked whether this was a new bloc built against Washington, Carney rejected that framing. Canada and Europe are both American partners and NATO allies, he noted, and Canada's cooperation with Europe is in many areas simply deeper. He pointed to existing foundations, the CETA trade agreement, Horizon Europe research and Erasmus+ exchanges, and named space, artificial intelligence and critical minerals as the next frontiers.
The relationship with Donald Trump remains strained, with a rename attempt over Lake Ontario and mocking AI videos in the background. Carney insisted that ties between Canadians and Americans are longstanding and will outlast any government. He said Canada would be direct about its bottom lines, show respect and keep talks anchored to core issues, while acknowledging that the American relationship would be very hard to replace. On the threat of more tariffs, he said Canada considers the justifications offered against it unjustified under its trade agreement. His message was simple: 'It's not against somebody. It's for.' What comes next depends on whether Germany and Brussels settle on the label and what concrete terms follow.
On Friday, after a day of talks in Montreal with European Union leaders, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sat down with DW's Katharina Kroll at the Port of Montreal Tower. His message was blunt: the experience of dealing with the United States has taught Canadians that their country is too dependent on it. "We're overdependent on the United States," he said, adding that Canada is too closely connected to its southern neighbor and needs to build strength at home while diversifying and deepening partnerships with like-minded countries abroad.
The talks brought an EU delegation led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa to meet Carney and other Canadian officials. On the table was a new, closer partnership between Canada and the bloc, including an idea von der Leyen has floated: "associate membership," a status that does not currently exist for any other country.
The label is not universally welcome. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government is resisting the creation of it. Carney, for his part, appeared to favor it. He noted that von der Leyen uses the term and so does Canada, and that certain things are clear whatever the exact wording. In his definition, it means the closest possible partnership without full EU membership, since Canada is not geographically in Europe and therefore cannot accede.
Asked whether he was trying to build a new transatlantic bloc without the US, Carney said the aim was to diversify and deepen, not to shut out Canada's largest trading partner. Canada and Europe are both close partners of Washington, he noted, and both are NATO allies, with many opportunities for cooperation with the United States. But in many cases, he said, Canada's cooperation with Europe would run deeper than with the US.
He pointed first to what already exists. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, he called one of the most successful free trade agreements in the world. He also cited research cooperation, including Horizon Europe, and Erasmus+ student exchanges. Areas for expansion, he said, include space technologies, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.
The backdrop is a strained relationship with President Donald Trump. DW notes that Trump has tried to unilaterally rename Lake Ontario and has posted AI-generated videos depicting him as a hockey player beating Carney in a fight. Carney nonetheless said the ties between Canadians and Americans are longstanding and strong, and that large parts of them will endure regardless of who governs in Ottawa or Washington.
On handling Trump, he said the approach is to be direct and absolutely clear about Canada's bottom lines, to show respect, and to keep bringing negotiations back to the core issues. He acknowledged that, whatever comes of the EU talks, the scale of the American relationship would be very hard to replace.
Asked whether the Brussels talks might invite further tariffs or punitive measures, Carney said Canada has been living with that for some time. The US has offered many justifications for trade action against Canada, he said, and Canada considers all of them unjustified under its trade agreement. His message to the White House was that the talks are about a positive association to help solve global problems. "It's not against somebody. It's for," he said.
What to watch next is whether Germany and the wider EU settle on the "associate membership" label, and what concrete terms follow from the Montreal discussions.
Citazioni salienti
We're overdependent on the United States. Too closely connected to the United States.— Mark Carney, to DW
It's not against somebody. It's for. It's a positive act.— Mark Carney, to DW
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