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French President Emmanuel Macron declared that France and Canada are “two great independent nations who want to stay that way” during a joint news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday.
The bilateral summit—held in the French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, located just off Canada’s Atlantic coast—comes against the backdrop of increasingly strained relations between the two nations and the United States.
Carney stated that the time had come to significantly strengthen ties with France and the European Union. His comments follow a high-profile visit to Brussels and Strasbourg, where the European Commission formally proposed granting Canada “associate member” status within the bloc.
Macron confirmed that Paris and Ottawa would work together to deepen cooperation across key sectors, including fisheries, regional security, and energy infrastructure.
Looking beyond bilateral ties, Carney proposed establishing a four-way collaborative framework involving France, Canada, the US, and China to oversee the development and governance of artificial intelligence.
The leaders delivered their remarks following a working lunch and a series of high-level meetings on the island earlier in the day.
Foundations of new Atlantic ties amid Trump’s unpredictability
US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, demands for economic concessions, and repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state have pushed Ottawa to reduce its dependence on its southern neighbour and pursue deeper economic, security, and political ties with Europe.
“This is an important moment,” Macron said on Saturday upon his arrival. He noted that the bilateral discussions “will allow us… to strengthen our bilateral economic ties and defence relationship.”
Macron added that Sunday’s talks form part of broader European efforts to secure stable energy supplies as the war in Iran continues to disrupt global energy markets, stoking fears of sustained price increases for fuel and other essential commodities.
“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.”
Carney’s office confirmed in a statement that the leaders discussed deepening the Canada-France partnership across strategic sectors, including aerospace, energy, critical minerals, and advanced technologies such as quantum computing, satellites, and supercomputing.
The meeting also comes in the wake of Trump’s announcement regarding a deal on Greenland that will expand the US military presence on the island while maintaining Danish sovereignty, ending months of threats by the US president to seize the semi-autonomous territory of a fellow NATO ally.
Macron publicly welcomed the resolution on Saturday.
“Danish sovereignty is being respected; international law is being respected,” Macron stated. “Anything that helps ease tensions is a good thing.”
Additional sources • AFP, AP