Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives in Paris to meet with European allies amid U.S. trade war

Rob Gillies · The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 5:51 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived successful Paris Monday to conscionable with French President Emmanuel Macron, seeking enactment from 1 of Canada's oldest allies arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump continues to onslaught Canada's sovereignty and economy.

This is Carney's archetypal authoritative overseas travel since helium was sworn successful connected March 14. He volition adjacent onshore successful London wherever helium volition beryllium down with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles.

Why Paris and London?

Carney has deliberately chosen the 2 European superior cities that shaped Canada's aboriginal existence. During his swearing-in ceremony, helium noted the state was built connected the bedrock of 3 peoples, French, English and Indigenous, and said Canada is fundamentally antithetic from America and volition "never, ever, successful immoderate mode signifier oregon form, beryllium portion of the United States."

Since Trump came to office, helium has imposed whopping tariffs connected Canadian alloy and aluminum and repeatedly commented connected turning Canada into the 51st state, infuriating Canadians and sparking a telephone to boycott U.S. products crossed the country. He is threatening to enforce tariffs connected each Canadian products connected April 2.

On Monday, a elder Canadian authorities authoritative briefed reporters connected the level earlier picking up Carney successful Montreal, saying the intent of the travel is to treble down connected partnerships with London and Paris. The official, who spoke connected information of anonymity arsenic helium is not allowed to talk publicly, said Canada is simply a "good person of the United States but we each cognize what is going on."

Carney volition sojourn the Notre-Dame Cathedral earlier gathering with Macron astatine the Palais de l'Élysée. However, Macron isn't expected to clasp a associated quality league with Carney, a motion the French president mightiness not privation to upset Trump by siding with Canada.

Before returning to Ottawa connected Tuesday, Carney volition question to Iqaluit to "reaffirm Canada's Arctic information and sovereignty."

"The prime of this itinerary for Prime Minister Carney's archetypal authoritative travel emphasizes the beardown transportation of Canada with the Arctic arsenic good arsenic with the 2 erstwhile assemblage powers Canada remains attached to, done the Commonwealth connected the U.K. broadside and La Francophonie connected the France side," said Daniel Beland, a governmental subject prof astatine McGill University successful Montreal.

"The information that Canada ne'er broke distant from the U.K. successful a convulsive manner is simply a cardinal humanities and organization quality betwixt the United States and Canada, a law monarchy alternatively than a republic that has adopted and retained a U.K.-style parliamentary system."

The travel to London volition beryllium a spot of a homecoming, arsenic Carney became the archetypal non-British politician successful the Bank of England's 319-year past erstwhile helium took implicit the apical occupation connected July 1, 2013. He served until March 15, 2020.

No Washington travel planned

Carney, a erstwhile cardinal banker who turned 60 connected Sunday, has said he's acceptable to conscionable with Trump if helium shows respect for Canadian sovereignty. He said helium doesn't program to sojourn Washington astatine the infinitesimal but hopes to person a telephone telephone with the president soon. His authorities is besides reviewing the acquisition of U.S.-made F-35 combatant jets successful airy of Trump's commercialized war.

Meanwhile, Macron has been ramping up efforts to transportation France's allies to determination distant from purchases of American subject hardware, which dovetails with Canada's rethink connected F-35s and besides coincides with mounting questions and concerns successful Europe that European defences are overly babelike connected U.S. weaponry, method enactment and goodwill.

Carney spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy connected a telephone precocious Sunday and invited him to the G7 acme this summer, which Canada is hosting. Trump said helium would talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Tuesday arsenic helium pushes to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine.

Carney is expected to telephone an predetermination by the extremity of the week, to instrumentality spot successful precocious April oregon aboriginal May. The Liberal Party had appeared poised for a historical predetermination decision this twelvemonth until Trump declared economical war. Now, the enactment and its caller person could travel retired connected top.