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

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed Sunday to deepen a strategic partnership spanning space, defense, energy, and business, as Canada shifts 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, and to expand cooperation in energy, telecommunications, and climate resilience. Carney said deeper European ties would reduce Canada's vulnerability to economic coercion, while Macron called the visit a "historic moment" and backed Canada's future EU involvement. The meeting follows U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and repeated talk of making Canada the 51st state, which have pushed Ottawa to reduce dependence on its neighbor. Macron also cited the Iran war's disruption of global energy markets, saying France seeks agreements to secure liquefied natural gas from Canada for Europe's Atlantic coast.