“I mean, look, I spoke to her but it is not traditional that she will stay the day after,” Metsola said Tuesday. “I think there was a lot of questions why, and I think that’s not up to me to judge.”
Wilkinson, the Canadian ambassador, confirmed that Ottawa had made its preference clear.
“I know that they had some complexity in their schedule, and they were working that out,” he said.
Associate status?
The scheduling drama came after a bout of confusion over what the EU-Canada relationship is becoming.
Canada’s growing ties with the EU have drawn speculation as to what a closer relationship between Ottawa and Brussels could mean in practice, from greater participation in the bloc’s flagship Erasmus educational program to more far-reaching integration on trade and security.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Ottawa was discussing “associate membership,” potentially allowing visa-free travel and EU working rights for Canadians.