Michael Higgins: Mark Carney's EU adventure isn't about Canadians - National Post

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a speech in the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France on September 17, 2026. Photo by JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN /AFP via Getty ImagesArticle contentThe problem with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s coy courtship of the European Union is that it leaves Canadians bewildered as to the nature of the relationship.

In his speech to the European Parliament Thursday, Carney showered the EU and its officials with praise, pledged strategic cooperation, called for closer ties and predicted an “alliance for the future.”

He also “welcomed” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal on Wednesday that Canada should become an “associate member” of the EU although that status doesn’t exist and hasn’t been defined.

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Considering that Canadian officials pushed back hard after the Wall St Journal reported on the “associate member” plan, Carney’s speech is perplexing. What exactly is the Canada-EU plan?

“Mark Carney’s Audacious Bid to Make Canada an ‘Associate Member’ of the EU,” was the Wall St Journal headline on Sept. 12.

The paper said Carney had been phoning European leaders seeking a new relationship following the start of a trade tensions with the United States. The paper claimed the “associate member” plan was proposed by Carney.

But the following day, Canadian government officials were swift to pour cold water on the article.

A senior government source told CTV News that the WSJ had “overstated” what Carney was doing. The prime minister was trying to deepen ties with the EU but that was “nothing new,” said the source.

The same day Carney denied that Canada was looking to become a member of the European Union (although no one had suggested or reported that Canada was trying to become a full member.)

Then on Wednesday, von der Leyen publicly endorsed the associate member proposal in her speech to the European parliament.