Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has said Canada will pursue a "unique security and economic alliance" with the European Union, as he seeks to reduce the country's reliance on trade with the United States. Speaking at the inaugural Canada Investment Summit, Carney described Canada as a "safe harbour" for investment amid a fractured relationship with Washington, framing the shift as a response to a more divided world in which "economic integration is being weaponised" through tariffs. The move matters because it signals a significant reorientation of Canadian foreign and trade policy after 18 months of strained ties with its largest trading partner.

Carney will attend the European parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg this week, including Ursula von der Leyen's state of the union address on Wednesday and an address to MEPs on Thursday, after the European Commission president reversed a decision to skip his speech. Possibilities being discussed include visa-free travel and work arrangements, though talks remain at an early stage, with the EU keen to deepen ties on defence, raw materials and energy without extending full single-market freedoms. Canada already has a free-trade agreement with the EU and is its only non-European partner in Europe's defence procurement scheme, with MEP Javier Moreno Sánchez calling for closer cooperation on mobility, education and artificial intelligence.