Paris, March 17: New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, seeking support from one of Canada’s oldest allies as US President Donald Trump continues to attack Canada’s sovereignty and economy.
This is Carney’s first official foreign trip since he was sworn in on March 14. He will next land in London where he will sit down with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III, the head of state in Canada.
Carney has deliberately chosen the two European capital cities that shaped Canada’s early existence. During his swearing-in ceremony, he noted the country was built on the bedrock of three peoples, French, English and Indigenous, and said Canada is fundamentally different from America and will “never, ever, in any way shape or form, be part of the United States.”
“I want to ensure that France, and the whole of Europe, works enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of non-European countries, and at the same time resolutely North American, determined, like you, to maintain the most positive relations possible with the United States,” Carney said Monday, standing next to Macron.
Macron and Carney appeared in front of reporters before the talks but did not take questions, a sign the French president might not want to upset Trump by siding with Canada.
Macron said tariffs only bring inflation but did not address Trump’s attacks on Canada.
“We both believe that fair trade which respects international rules is a good thing for the prosperity of everyone and is certainly more effective than tariffs, which create inflation and damage supply chains and our economic integration,” Macron said.
Since Trump came to office, he has imposed whopping tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium and repeatedly commented on turning Canada into the 51st state, infuriating Canadians and sparking a call to boycott US products across the country. He is threatening to impose tariffs on all Canadian products on April 2.
No Washington trip planned
Carney, a former central banker who turned 60 on Sunday, has said he’s ready to meet with Trump if he shows respect for Canadian sovereignty. He said he doesn’t plan to visit Washington at the moment but hopes to have a phone call with the president soon. His government is also reviewing the purchase of US-made F-35 fighter jets in light of Trump’s trade war.
Meanwhile, Macron has been ramping up efforts to persuade France’s allies to move away from purchases of American military hardware, which dovetails with Canada’s rethink on F-35s and also coincides with mounting questions and concerns in Europe that European defences are overly dependent on US weaponry, technical support and goodwill.
Macron touched on the French-British plan for securing any ceasefire in Ukraine.
“This common commitment at the side of the Ukrainians has always aimed for a peace that is solid and lasting,” Macron said. “Canada and France are powers of peace, reliable allies, which will take part together in this effort.”
Carney spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a call late Sunday and invited him to the G7 summit this summer, which Canada is hosting.
Trump said he would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as he pushes to end the war in Ukraine.
Carney is expected to call an election by the end of the week, to take place in late April or early May. (AP)
