The ratification push is only one strand of Ottawa’s broader European courtship. In separate talks, officials are working to lock in cooperation on critical minerals, education, digital infrastructure and Arctic security, with a meeting in Montreal next month set to move them forward.
The Canada-EU agreement, which entered provisional force in 2017, has not been ratified by 10 of the bloc’s 27 countries, amid concerns that Canadian agricultural exports could hurt European farmers.
Carney’s European pivot follows months of escalating trade hostility with Washington. In August, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed additional 50 percent tariffs on certain Canadian goods, including cars, alcohol and dairy. Trump has also called Canada a potential 51st state and ordered Lake Ontario renamed “Lake America.”
Carney will address the European Parliament on Thursday, pitching Canada as a reliable partner as its relationship with the U.S. deteriorates.