Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney has weighed in on changing priorities of the country in the midst of trade war with the United States.
Speaking to DW after the EU-Canada summit in Montreal, Carney said he and his compatriots had finally realized Canada’s over-dependence on America.
“The lesson we’ve taken, Canadians as a whole, is we’re overdependent on the United States. Too closely connected to the United States. And we need to build our strength here at home and diversify and deepen our partnerships with like-minded countries internationally,” Carney said.
The PM also discussed the scope of EU and Canada broader cooperation. According to Carney, the country is looking to diversify and strengthen cooperation with the bloc instead of creating a bloc against the US which is Ottawa’s biggest trade partner.
Mark Carney also pointed to the new frontiers of cooperation with the EU including space technologies, AI and critical minerals while mentioning existing successes like CETA , research integration via Horizon Europe, and academic exchange programs like Erasmus+.
He stated that while Canada maintains close ties with the US, there will be much deeper cooperation with Europe than with the US in several specific sectors.
Carney denied trying to build an anti-US transatlantic coalition, framing the initiative as diversifying Canada’s partnerships rather than excluding its top trading partner.
“The bonds between Canadians and Americans are longstanding. They’re very strong. And big elements of that will be maintained regardless of the government in Canada, the government in the United States, the combination of the two,” he said.
