Canada Deepens Ties With Trusted Allies France, United Kingdom

(MENAFN- Caribbean News Global) STRASBOURG, France – In a more dangerous and divided world, a strong, confident Canada is building strength at home and forging deeper partnerships abroad to create greater resilience. Bound by our shared values of pluralism, the rule of law, and democracy – and strengthened by our complementary capabilities – Canada looks first to our partners in Europe.

To advance this partnership, prime minister, Mark Carney, visited Strasbourg, France, September 16 – 17, 2026.

On September 16, prime minister Carney travelled to Liverpool, United Kingdom (UK), to meet with Prime minister Andy Burnham for the first time. The leaders discussed their shared ambition to unlock new opportunities in trade, technology, and defence – and agreed that the scale of their efforts must match the urgency of the moment.

Prime Minister Carney announced that Canada has formally applied to join the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force to reinforce our military interoperability and strengthen our collective security. He welcomed the UK's support on this front. The leaders also discussed opportunities to deepen defence industrial cooperation through the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), which Canada joined as an observer in July 2026. Building on this momentum, the prime ministers agreed to advance cooperation on frontier technologies, including by advancing the safe and responsible development and use of AI.

While in Strasbourg, the prime minister attended president von der Leyen's State of the European Union (EU) address, addressed the European Parliament, and proposed a new partnership between Canada and the EU that is far deeper and more integrated.

“The EU brings market power, research depth, and manufacturing strength to this partnership. Canada brings abundant energy, critical minerals, world-class capabilities in space, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum, and one of the world's strongest banking systems. Together, Canada and the EU can leverage these strengths to benefit both Canadian and EU citizens in a number of ways.

“Deeper cooperation in critical minerals, defence industries, energy, and AI and compute would reinforce both Canada and the EU's strategic autonomy and therefore sovereignty. Deeper people-to-people ties would allow young people to live, work and study where they want – in Canada or the EU. A more integrated, seamless market for financial services would broaden choice and reduce costs for citizens. Overall, a deeper, more integrated Canada-EU partnership would create greater security, opportunity, and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.”

While in Strasbourg, prime minister Carney met with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament president Roberta Metsola, and other members of the European Parliament to advance this vision and strengthen the foundation for a deeper Canada-EU partnership.

“At this pivotal moment in history, a strong, confident Canada is charting a new course. We are building our strength at home and deepening ties with trusted international partners – including across Europe – to protect our sovereignty, build greater resilience, and unlock new opportunities in trade, investment, and technology for our peoples,” reports, prime minister's office – communications.

“In a rapidly changing world, Canada's new government proposes the deepest possible partnership between Canada and the EU. This will require a new form of partnership – a unique alliance anchored in our common values that respects our complementary strengths and systems and enhances our sovereignty and prosperity. Canada will work with speed and ambition to make this possible to create greater certainty, security, and prosperity for our peoples for generations to come,” said prime minister Carney.

MENAFN09102026000232011072ID1111785998