Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday (September 17) welcomed the proposal of becoming an "associate member" of the European Union, saying Europe and Canada were stronger together and should deepen ties to protect their citizens' prosperity.

Hours earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump had derided the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's overtures as "laughable" and said he would hit Europe with further tariffs if he deemed the proposal hostile.

"Europe and Canada are each strong. Europe and Canada are even stronger together," Carney told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg.

Both the EU and Canada have been facing stiff rivalry and pressure from Trump's administration on trade, among other matters, and from an increasingly assertive China.

The European Commission said von der Leyen's proposal — which is yet to be fleshed out and will need to be approved by EU member states to go forward — was not a hostile act

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Canada welcomes ambition of becoming EU associate member: Carney

VIDEO SHOWS: CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY SPEAKING IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

RESENDING COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: STRASBOURG, FRANCE (SEPTEMBER 17, 2026) (EUROPEAN UNION - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY AND EU PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT ROBERTA METSOLA ENTERING CONFERENCE HALL

2. VARIOUS OF CARNEY SHAKING HANDS WITH PEOPLE AND TAKING PHOTOS WITH PEOPLE

3. CARNEY APPROACHING PODIUM TO TALK

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARK CARNEY, SAYING (PART OVERLAID WITH 5 & 6):

“Yesterday, President von der Leyen spoke of moving beyond CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) to an alliance for the future, opening the door to Canada to become the European Union's first associate member with.”

5. EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT URSULA VON DE LEYEN LISTENING TO CARNEY SPEAKING

6. PARLIAMENT LISTENING TO CARNEY SPEAKING

7. VON DER LEYEN CLAPPING FOR CARNEY

8. PARLIAMENT CLAPPING FOR CARNEY

9. EU PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT ROBERTA METSOLA CLAPPING FOR CARNEY

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARK CARNEY, SAYING:

“Canada welcomes this ambition. I will tell you, polling shows that an overwhelming majority of Canadians support much closer ties with Europe.

11. PARLIAMENT CLAPPING FOR CARNEY

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARK CARNEY, SAYING:

“We are not fair weather allies. We do not pursue zero-sum deals. Our commitment to the rule of law and our unyielding defence of human dignity, individual freedom and democracy share the same deep roots, the same unwavering dedication.”

13. PARLIAMENT LISTENING TO CARNEY

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARK CARNEY, SAYING (PART OVERLAID WITH 15):

“Together, Canada and the European Union can anchor our ground to hold our values while forming a protective canopy under which our citizens can thrive. This is about sovereignty.”

15. PARLIAMENT LISTENING TO CARNEY

16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARK CARNEY, SAYING (PART OVERLAID WITH 16):

“Sovereignty today goes beyond being able to feed, fuel and defend ourselves. It now requires secure access to AI, semiconductors, critical minerals, payment systems, clean energy technologies, vaccines, space based communications. Canada and Europe are each strong. Europe and Canada are stronger together.”

16. PARLIAMENT LISTENING TO CARNEY SPEAK

17. PARLIAMENT CLAPPING FOR CARNEY’S SPEECH