Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is visiting Europe this week as Canada seeks a deeper strategic alliance with the European Union, amid an ongoing trade war with the United States.
Carney is scheduled to visit Strasbourg, France, and Liverpool, United Kingdom, between September 15 and September 17, according to an official government statement.
The visit comes as transatlantic relations between Europe and Washington have grown strained. US President Donald Trump's tariff threats, his push to acquire Greenland, and the fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran — which European countries have refused to join — have all contributed to the tension.
In meetings with members of the European Parliament, Carney will seek to "strengthen Canada's ties with the EU in trade, investment, and security", according to the government statement announcing the trip.
Carney has said Canada is looking to diversify its trade and investment relationships but has not disclosed further details officially. He described the goal as building a "unique alliance" with Europe.
"We share the same values, we have the same priorities, and we have very complementary strengths," Carney said, speaking to reporters at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday.
While some members of Carney's cabinet and officials within the EU have floated the idea of Canada seeking "associate EU membership", the prime minister has ruled that out.
"We're not looking to become a member of the European Union," Carney said.
A senior Canadian official told sources that the aim of the visit is to strengthen Canada's sovereignty, and that the country would not be willing to surrender "our rights to Brussels". Canada will, however, push for an arrangement that would allow Canadians to live and work in Europe without visas, with investment at the core of any deeper partnership, the official added.
Carney has repeatedly highlighted Canada's over-reliance on the United States as a trading partner. The US currently imports more than 70 percent of all Canadian goods, worth more than $300 billion a year. Canada's trade with the EU, by comparison, was worth 130 billion euros ($150 billion) in 2025.
Canadian passport holders can currently enter the Schengen zone as tourists for only 90 days and require a permit for longer stays. A closer arrangement could open up more travel, work, and retirement opportunities for Canadian citizens, analysts say.
Similar models already exist between the EU and non-member countries. Switzerland, for example, is associated with the EU through several bilateral treaties granting it access to the EU single market and the Schengen open border area.
A 2017 EU-Canada trade agreement already eliminated duties on goods entering both markets and made cross-border investment easier for firms on both sides.
Experts say both Canada and the EU are looking for ways to strategically shield themselves from the consequences of a deteriorating relationship with Washington, as traditional US allies find it increasingly difficult to rely on the Trump administration.
Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre criticised the trip in a statement posted on X on Sunday, saying the prime minister was "out of touch".
