Just a few days after becoming prime minister, Mark Carney broke with tradition by making his first official trip abroad not to the United States — as is customary for Canadian leaders — but to Europe. The gesture was symbolic: a reaffirmation of Canada’s historic ties with Europe at a time of growing friction with its southern neighbor.
Carney visited Paris and London to underscore Canada’s deep friendships across the Atlantic as the country grapples with weeks of escalating trade conflict and political threats from Donald Trump, including tariffs and talk of annexation.
“I want to ensure that France and the whole of Europe works enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of non-European countries, determined like you to maintain the most positive possible relations with the United States,” Carney said after meeting the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris. He then traveled to London for meetings with UK prime minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III.
The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement — once hailed by Trump as “the largest, most significant, modern and balanced trade agreement in history” — has given way to threats and economic pressure. Tariffs imposed by Trump have already harmed Canada’s economy, which is deeply integrated with that of the United States, and more levies are apparently on the table.
Trump’s aggressive posture has stirred a sense of national unity in Canada and given a boost to the Liberal Party, which until recently were trailing the Conservatives by a large margin. According to recent polls, Carney’s chances of winning the upcoming election have improved significantly.
Carney’s European tour was also an opportunity to demonstrate his stature on the international scene. In Macron, he…
Auteur: Romain Chauvet
