Macron And Carney Meet In Sign Of Growing EU-Canada Ties During Ongoing U.S.-Canada Trade Dispute.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hosted talks on Sunday on the French self-governing overseas territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, an archipelago located off the coast of the Canadian island of Newfoundland. Carney's trip to the territory in an official capacity marks the first such visit by a sitting Canadian PM.

During their joint address, the two leaders discussed Canada's intention to join the EU as an associate member, which Macron warmly welcomed.

"Canada and Europe will build an alliance for the future that will strengthen collective resilience so we can live our lives as we choose based on the values that we share", Carney said.

"Our two countries are two great independent nations that want to stay that way", Macron added.

Although neither statement was framed as an attack on President Donald Trump, the leaders' repeated invocations of independence and choice come after months of strained U.S.-EU and U.S.-Canada relations, in which perceived U.S. disregard for European and Canadian independence has become a key issue.

In August, Carney walked away from U.S.-Canada trade negotiations after he accused the U.S. of wanting to weaken French language protections as part of a future deal, a claim that Trump has refuted.

The trade dispute between the allies has since escalated into a full-blown trade war.

The European Council also warned the U.S. not to interfere in European affairs after the Trump administration published its National Security Strategy in 2025, which expressed U.S. support for various right-wing, supposedly "patriotic" opposition parties in European countries.

Macron also highlighted Canadian, French and European shared values, such as "democracy, the rule of law, respect for international law [and] respect for free and fair trade", in what may have been a reference to Trump's frequent use of punitive trade tariffs against both political adversaries and allies.

Canada's associate membership of the EU was first proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union address on Wednesday, which Carney attended.

"I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU", Von der Leyen said, addressing Carney directly.

In a speech to the European parliament on Thursday, Carney responded by saying that "Canada welcomes the ambition", noting that "polling shows an overwhelming majority of Canadians support much closer ties with Europe".

An Abacus Data survey conducted between September 4 and 9 found that 80% of Canadians viewed deeper EU-Canadian integration favorably, with 56% saying Canada had more in common with the EU than the U.S.

Only 16% said the reverse was true.

Trump on Wednesday called Canada's potential future associate membership of the EU "laughable", warning the bloc that he would impose "very serious tariffs" on them or even "stop trading with Europe" altogether if he felt that growing Canadian-European cooperation was intended as a "hostile act" towards the U.S.

However, "If it's a good intention that's fine", the president clarified.