Canada's Mark Carney pushes Europe partnership to curb US dependence before G7

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin and French President Emmanuel Macron in Dublin, urging medium‑size powers to stop competing for United States favour and to forge a “third way” with Europe. He highlighted that Canada and the European Union together have a population and economy more than twice the size of the United States and a combined defence budget that outstrips China’s.

Carney pointed to the recent accession of Canada to the EU’s SAFE defence‑procurement mechanism and to the country’s 56 critical‑mineral partnerships across more than ten European states. He said the Canada‑EU bloc forms one of the world’s largest economic, cultural, technological, financial and military groupings.

The leader also addressed trade tensions, noting that the upcoming July 1 review of the US‑Mexico‑Canada Agreement (T‑MEC) is unlikely to produce major changes, with the United States indicating no intent to alter the agreement’s fundamental architecture. Approximately 85 % of Canada’s trade with the United States remains tariff‑free under the current pact.