Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to host European leaders in Canada as he seeks to deepen trade ties with the EU amid Donald Trump’s ongoing economic hostility.
asserted
he → set → hostility
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will join Carney in Montreal on Thursday for a two-day summit.
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Leyen → join → summit
It is understood the talks will aim to deepen trade, defence and economic relationships as Canada looks to secure relationships outside of Washington.
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Canada → understand → Washington
EU officials said ahead of the talks that the proposed partnership with Canada could improve the relationship more than has ever been achieved with a non-European country.
uncertain
partnership → say → country
Carney said Tuesday the summit would launch further negotiations over the next year.
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summit → say → year
“It doesn’t matter about specific names or nomenclature,” Carney said.
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Carney → matter → names
“What matters is the difference that it will make to lives of Canadians, young Canadians in terms of opportunities to study, work and travel, our Canadian businesses in terms of new opportunities, Canadian researchers in terms of depths of opportunity, and Canada as a whole becoming a more independent, more sovereign nation, so we can live our lives as we choose.”
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we → matter → lives
Carney has ruled out formally joining the EU, which would require Canada to align its laws and regulations with the bloc’s.
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which → rule → bloc
Canadian officials said Canada would not assume the EU’s membership-related budget obligations, although it could contribute to specific programs.
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it → say → programs
Carney has said any enhanced partnership would face a vote in Canada’s Parliament.
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partnership → say → Parliament
The summit puts Carney’s vision for a new global order to the test.
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summit → put → test
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, he warned that the U.S.-led international order was breaking down and urged middle powers to unite against economic coercion.
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order → warn → coercion
Trump has suggested Canada’s proposed EU arrangement could be a “hostile act” and threatened tariffs on Europe if he considered it unfriendly.
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it → suggest → Europe
Asked Wednesday about possible retaliation, a senior Canadian government official told reporters the closer relationship was not directed against the United States but reflected longstanding shared interests.
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relationship → ask → interests
The summit is expected to launch an “Alliance for the Future,” a framework for closer cooperation on trade, defense, critical minerals, technology and research.
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summit → expect → trade
Von der Leyen said the alliance would help Canada and Europe respond together to a world of growing rivalries.
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Canada → say → rivalries
The proposed relationship could include regular meetings between Canadian ministers and European commissioners and expanded opportunities for students through the EU’s Erasmus+ program, which supports international study and educational exchanges.
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which → propose → study
European commissioners and Canadian Cabinet ministers will hold sector-specific meetings, beginning with a business forum Thursday before formal leaders’ talks Friday.
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commissioners → hold → talks
Officials hope to develop the broader partnership for possible endorsement in 2027.
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Officials → hope → 2027
Tobias Gehrke, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the disagreement over terminology was unlikely to derail closer cooperation.
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disagreement → say → cooperation
“There is no magic shortcut to rapidly reducing Europe’s and Canada’s reliance on the U.S. economy and military — not least since Washington might retaliate,” Gehrke said.
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Gehrke → be → economy
“But the political window is now wide open to take a much bigger step than was previously conceivable.”
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window → take → step
Canada has long looked to Europe to reduce its dependence on its much larger southern neighbor.
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Canada → look → neighbor
“It was the idea of not being alone with the Americans that drove it,” said Robert Bothwell, a University of Toronto historian.
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Bothwell → drive → Toronto
Carney has deep personal ties to Europe.
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Carney → have → Europe
The former Bank of Canada governor led the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020.
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governor → lead → 2020
He chose Paris and London for his first foreign trip as prime minister rather than Washington, a break with tradition.
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He → choose → tradition
He said the countries reflected Canada’s founding Indigenous, French and British peoples.
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countries → say → peoples
Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said Trump’s policies are accelerating Canada’s efforts to strengthen ties beyond the United States.
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policies → say → States
“The policies and rhetoric of the Trump administration are clearly pushing both Canada and the EU to imagine a world without strong U.S. leadership and to act accordingly,” Béland said.
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Béland → push → leadership
Ottawa is reviewing plans to buy 72 additional American-made F-35 fighter jets and considering Sweden’s Saab Gripen as an alternative.
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Ottawa → review → alternative
Canada has committed to an initial 16 F-35s.
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Canada → commit → F-35s
Canada is the only non-European country participating in the EU’s 150-billion-euro ($167-billion) SAFE defense procurement program, allowing Canadian companies to take part in joint European military purchases.
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companies → participate → purchases
But deeper defense cooperation faces obstacles.
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cooperation → face → obstacles
Sundar said France is pushing for strict “Made in Europe” rules that could limit Canadian companies’ access to future EU defense spending, while Germany favors broader participation by countries outside the bloc.
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Germany → say → bloc
He said negotiations over the EU’s next seven-year budget could matter more to Canada than anything announced in Montreal.
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negotiations → say → Montreal
The two sides already have a sweeping free trade agreement, known as CETA, that eliminated most tariffs.
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that → have → tariffs
Most provisions have been in force since 2017, although some EU member states have yet to ratify it.
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states → have → it
The United States accounted for 71.7% of Canada’s merchandise exports in 2025.
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States → account → 2025
Carney wants to double exports to other countries over the next decade.
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Carney → want → decade
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
