Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney has met with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron, on his first official overseas visit to seek support from one of Canada’s oldest allies as relations with the United States have plummeted.
During a joint press conference on Monday at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Carney said it was important for Canada to “reinforce its ties with reliable allies like France”.
“I want to ensure that France, and the whole of Europe, works enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of non-European countries, and at the same time resolutely North American, determined, like you, to maintain the most positive relations possible with the United States,” Carney said.
However, his visit comes amid growing tensions with US President Donald Trump, who has imposed significant tariffs on Canadian goods. Canada has levied its own retaliatory tariffs.
Trump has also repeatedly threatened to annex the country and turn it into the 51st US state, infuriating Canadians. Carney flatly stated upon taking on the premiership that this would never happen, as did his predecessor, outgoing PM Justin Trudeau.
While Macron did not address Trump’s attacks on Canada, he said tariffs only bring about inflation.
“In the current international context, we want to be able to develop our most strategic projects with our closest, more loyal partners,” Macron said, adding “We are stronger together, better able to ensure the respect of our interests, the full exercise of our sovereignty.”
Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, said, “The fact that Carney chose to come to France and the UK for his first overseas trip is highly symbolic. Normally, Canadian prime ministers would visit Washington first. The name Donald Trump was certainly not mentioned, but no doubt the US president was very much on the minds of these two leaders, a president who is waging a tariffs [war] on both Canada and France and upturning traditional alliances.”
‘Peaceful powers’
Macron and Carney also pledged their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty amid ongoing US-backed negotiations for a ceasefire deal in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Macron said that France and Canada were two “peaceful powers” who would continue supporting Kyiv and “continue to demand clear commitments from Russia” towards implementing lasting peace and ensuring “the security of the whole of Europe”.
The meeting comes two days after both Carney and Macron took part in a video conference organised by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday of countries that support Ukraine and would consider joining a “coalition of the willing” to fortify any peace deal on the ground.
The AFP news agency also reported on Monday, citing an unnamed government official, that the Canadian leader has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the summer Group of Seven (G7) countries summit in Alberta in June.
Carney, who succeeded Trudeau last week, will visit the United Kingdom later on Monday to meet with Starmer and King Charles III, the head of state in Britain and Canada.
So far, Carney has not planned a visit to Washington, but the prime minister said last week that he was open to meeting Trump if he showed respect for Canada’s sovereignty.
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