‘Stronger together’: Carney welcomes EU invite for Canada to become first-ever associate member

Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister, speaks during a meeting with Andy Burnham, UK prime minister, not pictured, ahead of the Everton v Wolverhampton Wanderers English League Cup football match at Hill Dickson Stadium in Liverpool, UK, on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday welcomed the European Union's ambition to make Ottawa an associate member of the 27-nation bloc, saying a closer alliance between the two can help to shore up strategic autonomy on a range of capabilities."Canada and Europe are each strong. Europe and Canada are stronger together," Carney told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France. Canada's prime minister did not name President Donald Trump in his speech, but he nodded to his U.S. counterpart's use of tariffs by saying: "Economic integration is now being weaponized — tariffs being used to exert pressure."Speaking in French, Carney continued: "Financial mechanisms have been used for coercion. Supply chains constitute weak points to be exploited."His comments come shortly after Trump described the prospect of Canada becoming the first associate member of the EU as "laughable" and threatened th...