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CBCThu, September 17, 2026 at 5:52 AM EDT

Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments that Canada seeking a deeper relationship with the European Union was “laughable.”

Carney told reporters during a news conference on Thursday that a partnership with the EU would make Canada “a better partner” to the U.S., but he insisted that the relationship with the U.S. must respect Canadian independence.

“We are looking for partnerships that are complementary, that reinforce our sovereignty,” he said when asked about Trump’s comments.

“Canadians are united that nobody is going to tell us what language we speak, no one is going to dictate our culture or with whom we can strike agreements internationally.”

Carney, who has been trying to forge closer ties with Europe amid Canada’s ongoing trade war with the United States, made the remarks after delivering an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday morning.

The prime minister didn’t mention Donald Trump by name, but nodded to the U.S. president’s tactics in his speech. Carney echoed his Davos speech from earlier this year, saying economic integration has been used as leverage and suggesting that Europe can be a more reliable ally.

“We are not fair-weather allies. We do not pursue zero-sum deals,” Carney said. “We hold common values, for which we have always fought, and in whose defence we must always remain vigilant.”

When the U.S. president was asked about Canada and the EU seeking to strengthen their partnership on Wednesday, Trump called the idea “laughable” and threatened the EU with “very serious tariffs” if it makes a trade deal with Canada “with bad intentions.”

As Carney stepped up to deliver his address, someone began a “U.S.A.” chant. Others in the room booed in response.

Carney called for an “alliance of the future” between Canada and the 27 countries that make up the European Union.

“Together, Canada and the European Union can anchor our ground to hold our values while forming a protective canopy under which our citizens can thrive,” he said.

“This is about sovereignty. Our ability to live as we wish. It is about the freedoms we must fight for every day. Sovereignty requires resilience — the ability to withstand shocks.”

Carney offered a rebuke of Trump and other hegemonic powers in his address, suggesting that an alliance between Canada and the EU will be a “beacon for other democracies.”

“I want to be precise about what I am not proposing. I am not proposing a third bloc in order to become a great-power rival, only with better manners,” he said.

“We do not seek power to dominate others. On the contrary, we are pursuing resilience so that no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law.”

Over the last year, Canada has signed several new partnership agreements with the EU. It was also the first non-European country to become a member of Security Action for Europe (SAFE), which provides €150 billion in loans for defence spending.

‘People-to-people ties’

During his address, Carney proposed that Canada join Erasmus+, the EU’s program supporting education, training, youth and sport. The prime minister also said Canada could join Horizon Europe, the EU’s program that puts funding into various research and innovation projects. The program’s budget for 2021-2027 is worth about $150 billion.

“We should deepen our people-to-people ties, allowing our youth to live, work and study where they want on either side of the Atlantic,” he said.

Carney’s speech comes after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her state of the European Union address on Wednesday that the door is open for Canada to become an “associate member” of the bloc.

“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” von der Leyen said, drawing a standing ovation.

• What questions do you have about the proposed partnership between Canada and the EU? Send them to ask@cbc.ca.

Carney then nodded, rose from his seat, approached von der Leyen and embraced her. He briefly waved to the chamber before returning to his seat.

The EU chief said the two must “urgently reimagine” their partnership, and move beyond just a free trade agreement.

Carney said he “welcomes the ambition” of that proposal, but he has preferred to use a different term, calling it an “alliance for the future.”

“Canada and Europe should secure our strategic autonomy through deep co-operation in the full range of strategic capabilities,” he said.

Substance matters more than the label: Carney

Carney and his team have been downplaying the idea of using “associate member” to describe a new partnership since it was first floated in a story in the Wall Street Journal last week that cited unidentified sources.

When asked Thursday about the idea of Canada being an “associate member,” Carney said the “substance” of the agreement is more important than the label.

The prime minister said that Canada isn’t looking to be a full member of the EU and that the final agreement of the alliance would be debated and voted on in Canada’s Parliament.

Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s incoming EU ambassador, reiterated that Canada isn’t looking to be a full member of the EU on Wednesday following von der Leyen’s speech.

“There are a bunch of different things people have used to describe what this [new relationship] could be. I think we’ve actually got to get to the point where we actually know what we’re describing,” Wilkinson told reporters following von der Leyen’s address.

“It’s nomenclature; I mean, at the end of the day, there’s lots of different ways you could describe it.”

Carney had a meeting with von der Leyen on Wednesday and the two discussed sectors where both leaders feel they can deepen ties, according to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office. Those sectors include critical minerals, AI, defence, energy and finance.