Carney rejects Trump threats, backs deeper Canada-EU partnership
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Mark Carney stressed that the proposed partnership with the EU is a “positive initiative” aimed at “building” positive relations, rather than a response to any external circumstances. (Photo: REUTERS/Chris Tanouye/File Photo)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said deeper
cooperation with the European Union would make Canada stronger and rejected
criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, calling the proposed partnership
with the EU a “positive initiative,” The
Guardian reported on Sept. 17.
Responding to questions about remarks Trump made the
previous evening, Carney stressed that the proposed partnership with the EU is
a “positive initiative” aimed at “building” positive relations, rather than a
response to any external circumstances.
Carney said the potential for Canada and the EU to work
together to advance knowledge, create new things and push the boundaries of
what is possible would be “fundamentally positive.”
“This will make Europe stronger. This will make Canada
stronger. And, speaking for Canada, it will make Canada a better partner for
the United States,” Carney said.
Carney then said that “Canadians are united in the view that
no one will tell us what language to speak; no one will dictate our culture to
us or who we can enter into international agreements with.”
On Sept. 16, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened
the European Union with “serious tariffs” and reduced trade after the bloc
proposed making Canada its first-ever associate member, calling the idea
“ridiculous.”
Calling the move a potential “hostile act,” Trump told
reporters he could impose “very serious tariffs or stop trade with Europe.”
“If it’s good intent, fine. If it’s bad intent, we’ll put
very high tariffs on Europe,” he added.
Canada and the European Union draw closer
Bloomberg reported that the European Union sees greater
potential for closer ties with Canada than with the United Kingdom. The report
said the EU and Canada are working to establish a new, comprehensive
relationship spanning a wide range of issues, from trade to security, with the
aim of creating a transatlantic alliance intended to counterbalance the United
States and China.
The Financial Times, citing sources, also reported that Canada
is in talks to join a €90 billion European Union loan for Ukraine as Carney
seeks to strengthen transatlantic ties and reduce dependence on the United
States.
On Sept. 16 in Strasbourg, European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen publicly proposed making Canada the EU’s first associate
member during her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament.
In response, Trump threatened the European Union with sweeping
new tariffs if Washington views granting Canada EU associate member status as a
hostile move against the United States.
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