Canada's PM pushes 'new alliance' with EU despite

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney shrugged off a threat of US retaliation on Thursday as he pitched a 'new alliance' with Europe as a bulwark against outside pressures, in a closely watched address to the European Parliament.
Carney's speech came after EU chief Ursula von der Leyen suggested Canada could become the 27-nation bloc's first 'associate member' in her own address to EU lawmakers on Wednesday.
'Europe and Canada are stronger together,' the prime minister said, in a speech that drew a standing ovation, saying his country welcomed the EU proposal and wanted deeper cooperation on issues from artificial intelligence to defence and energy.
The Canadian leader pushed back afterwards at US President Donald Trump's threat to cut trade with the EU should the plan go ahead — telling reporters: 'No one is going to dictate our culture, or with whom we can strike agreements internationally.'
Carney has been pursuing closer ties with Europe, as his country gets drawn ever deeper into a trade war with the United States.
EU-US relations have also been badly strained by tariffs and territorial threats.
'We are pursuing resilience so no one, no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity, or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law,' Carney said.
Von der Leyen's proposal drew an irritated rebuke from Trump, who slammed it as 'laughable' and told reporters it could be seen as an 'hostile act'. 'If it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe,' he said.
The contours of the 'associate member' pitch were not immediately clear as EU treaties do not envisage such a possibility — but Carney said Canada 'welcomes this ambition'.
Von der Leyen had emphasised the partnership was 'not against anyone else' and Carney likewise sought to reassure Washington the alliance would not be antagonistic but a 'positive' initiative.
'A stronger, more resilient Canada will be a more effective partner with the United States,' he told reporters.
Carney's visit to Strasbourg was meant to act as a catalyst ahead of an EU-Canada summit in Montreal next month.
Canada could help Europe secure supplies of critical raw materials and contribute towards its energy needs with liquified natural gas and hydrogen, Carney said, also offering partnership on AI, compute, space and payments.
The two parties should move towards 'seamless digital trade' and allow their young people to work and study on either side of the Atlantic, he said.
On Wednesday, von der Leyen had similarly talked about forming a 'tech alliance', integrating defence industrial bases and making the Arctic 'a flagship joint project'. — AFP