TORONTO — French President Emmanuel Macron has thrown his support behind a proposal to grant Canada associate membership in the European Union, as he and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sought to strengthen bilateral cooperation across space, defense, energy and commerce during a high-level meeting.
The two leaders convened in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a small French territory situated just off Newfoundland’s coastline, where the distance between France and Canada narrows to mere kilometers. The symbolic venue underscored Canada’s growing diplomatic orientation toward Europe amid steadily worsening relations with the United States.
“We are very much in favor of that agenda of closer ties with the European Union, as an associate member of the Union, as the president said, and as a full-fledged member of the European community,” Macron said in French while standing alongside Carney.
“Only a few kilometers separate Canada and France at their closest point. Our values are even closer,” Carney said in French.
Carney announced that the two countries will direct their respective space agencies and defense ministries to jointly develop and share infrastructure, including satellite launch systems and ground-based reception facilities. The leaders also agreed to broaden collaboration in energy, telecommunications, climate resilience and economic development.
Macron’s endorsement came shortly after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen put forward the proposal to make Canada the EU’s first-ever associate member. Carney welcomed the initiative and has contended that deeper engagement with Europe would provide Canada with strategic alternatives and reduce its vulnerability to economic pressure from any single nation.
Former President Trump’s imposition of tariffs, demands for economic concessions, and repeated remarks about annexing Canada as the 51st U.S. state have hastened Canada’s turn toward European partnerships.
Trump also recently drew attention by posting a map on social media that draped the American flag across all of North America, encompassing both Canada and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.
Macron greeted Carney upon his arrival on Sunday at the airport in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French territory home to roughly 5,800 residents just off Newfoundland’s coast.
Macron further noted that Sunday’s discussions form part of wider efforts to help France bolster its oil and gas supplies as the conflict in Iran disrupts global energy markets and stokes concerns over rising fuel and commodity prices.
“Canada is a country with significant resources of critical minerals and rare earths. It is also a major oil and natural gas producer,” Macron said. “What we want to do is conclude agreements to secure more liquefied natural gas that can be shipped to Europe’s Atlantic coast.”
According to a statement from Carney’s office, the leaders also discussed aerospace, energy, critical minerals and advanced technologies including quantum computing, satellites and supercomputing.
Carney subsequently returned to Ottawa on Sunday to hold talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on defense, Arctic security, energy, critical minerals and emerging technologies, before traveling to New York on Monday to attend the U.N. General Assembly.
Speaking alongside Støre at a joint news conference, Carney dismissed the notion that closer ties with European allies constitute a threat to the United States, asserting that Canada is a stronger partner when it is “more independent or more resilient” and maintains robust relationships worldwide.
Sunday’s meeting also follows Trump’s announcement of an agreement concerning Greenland that would expand U.S. military presence on the island while preserving Danish governance. The deal came after months of threats by Trump to seize the semiautonomous territory of a NATO ally.
Macron on Saturday welcomed the agreement.
“Danish sovereignty is being respected, international law is being respected,” he said. “Anything that helps ease tensions is a good thing.”