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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to travel to Europe on Tuesday as Ottawa pushes for deeper ties with Europe amid frosty relations with Washington.
Carney is scheduled to visit Strasbourg in eastern France and Liverpool in the UK’s northwest during his trip to the continent.
In Strasbourg, the Canadian leader will give a speech at the European Parliament (EP) and meet with EP members to “strengthen Canada’s ties with the EU in trade, investment, and security.” He will also attend European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the European Union address on Wednesday.
Carney is expected to use the trip to seek a new arrangement with the EU that could allow Canadians to live and work across the bloc without visa restrictions, a senior Canadian official familiar with the talks told the Associated Press.
According to the official, the Canadian government is not looking for a Norway or Switzerland-style deal with the EU and has not proposed “associate membership” of the bloc.
Ottawa is instead looking for a bespoke arrangement aligned with its priorities and centring on investment, per the report.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Carney clarified that Canada was not looking to become a member of the EU but that the country had its sights on forming what he called a “unique alliance” with the bloc.
Canada has been increasingly looking to Europe amid an ongoing trade spat with Washington that reignited last month after talks over a deal to avoid hefty duties on some Canadian goods fell apart.
Following the breakdown in negotiations, 50% US duties impacting around C$28 billion worth of Canadian goods came into effect in late August, prompting Ottawa to announce counter-tariffs of up to 15, 25 or 50% on roughly C$27.6 billion in imports from the US.
Carney nevertheless told an audience at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto on Tuesday that Canada “will continue to be the US’s most important partner in many key areas.”
“Even at times of disagreement over our long-shared history, we have always maintained deep ties,” Carney said at the event, which saw global investors come together with Canadian executives and representatives from the public sector amid a push to attract more investment into Canada.
In the UK leg of his trip, Carney is due to meet his British counterpart Andy Burnham for the first time, with the pair lined up to go over issues including defence and security, artificial intelligence, energy and critical minerals.
Additional sources • AP