Carney and Macron meet in Paris as US-Canada tensions rise

Yahoo

17-03-2025

Newly sworn in Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday to discuss strengthening economic and commercial ties.
His visit comes as Canada finds itself in the middle of a trade war with the United States, which has imposed 25% tariffs on many goods imported from Canada, including steel and aluminium. Ottawa has retaliated with counter-tariffs on the US.
US President Donald Trump has also been campaigning for Canada to become the "51st state" and frequently belittled the previous Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
The fact Carney, who was sworn in on Friday, is making his first trip abroad to Europe – and not to the US like many of his predecessors – is seen as a signal to Washington.
"Unfortunatley, we are in the midst of an economic and geopoltical crisis," Carney, speaking in French, said alongside Macron before the two held talks.
He said Canada would be guided the values of "sovereignty solidarity, dynamism and sustainability."
"We know that economic cooperation, not confrontation, enables us to build strong economies," he said, calling France a "trusted ally."
Macron said he was honoured by the visit and called Canada a unique friend.
First France, then UK
On Saturday, Carney's office announced his first trip abroad since taking office would bring him to France followed by the United Kingdom, in an effort "to strengthen two of our closest and longest-standing economic and security partnerships."
Carney and Macron were to discuss bilateral ties as well as artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Canadian premier's office.
The Elysée Palace said, in a statement published by French media, that the leaders would also discuss the war in Ukraine as well as international crises and "the projects at the heart" of the "strategic partnership" between the two countries.
The Elysée said that Macron and Carney would also discuss "major global issues, particularly with a view to the UN Ocean Conference set to take place in Nice from June 9-13."
After his stop in Paris, Carney was due to head to London for talks with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, then to Canada's Arctic territory of Nunavut, which encompasses over 2 million square kilometres and forms most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
"My visit to France and the United Kingdom will strengthen trade, commercial, and defence ties with two of our strongest and most reliable partners, and my visit to Nunavut will be an opportunity to bolster Canada's Arctic sovereignty and security, and our plan to unlock the North's full economic potential," Carney said ahead of the trip.
Carney's visit to Nunavut comes amid concerning rhetoric coming out of the White House since Trump returned to power in January.
Trump has been talking for months about wanting to take control of Greenland, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark, and expand US influence in the Arctic. Trump has also been publicly musing for weeks about annexing Canada as the 51st US state.