Carney and Macron deepen Canada-Europe ties as Ottawa shifts from US reliance

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron met Sunday to deepen strategic cooperation in space, defense, energy, and business, marking Canada's accelerating shift toward Europe amid deteriorating relations with the United States. The leaders agreed to task their space agencies and defense ministries with developing shared infrastructure, including launch systems and ground-based reception facilities, while expanding cooperation in energy, telecommunications, and climate resilience. Carney's visit comes days after he embraced Canada becoming the European Union's first associate member, arguing deeper European ties would reduce Canada's vulnerability to economic coercion. Macron called the visit a "historic moment" and backed Canada's future EU involvement. The meeting follows U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, demands for concessions, and repeated talk of making Canada the 51st state, which have pushed Ottawa to reduce dependence on its neighbor. Macron also said talks aim to secure liquefied natural gas supplies from Canada as the Iran war disrupts global energy markets.