Canada will decide for itself who it will strike deals with, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday (September 17) in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of the proposed closer ties between the EU and Canada, including an EU proposal for Canada to become its first associate member.

"No one is going to dictate our culture or with whom we can strike agreements internationally," Carney told reporters at the European parliament in Strasbourg.

Carney said Canada could also be a more effective partner to the U.S. through a closer association with the EU, and said the substance of any new relation would be more important than the term that would be used for it.

Hours earlier, 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.

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.

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Canada will decide on its own partnerships, says PM Carney

VIDEO SHOWS: CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY HOLDING A NEWS CONFERENCE

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

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

1. (MUTE) CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARK CARNEY, AND EU PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT, ROBERTA METSOLA, ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE

2. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

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

"We are looking for partnerships that are complementary, that reinforce our sovereignty, and that's what is on offer here. Canadians are united that nobody is going to tell us what language we speak; no one is going to dictate our culture or with whom we can strike agreements internationally. Thank you."

4. CARNEY AND METSOLA AT LECTERN

5. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARK CARNEY, SAYING:

“It is an alliance, it is a positive process. Now, that is the response to the President of the United States. This is a positive thing. And a stronger, more resilient, more sovereign Canada will be a more effective partner for the United States. The same is true for the European Union, if I may say so.”

7. CARNEY AND METSOLA AT LECTERN

8. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

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

"President von der Leyen used both terms, 'alliance for the future' and 'associate membership.' The nomenclature, the precise nomenclature for Europe, is a question for Europe, the terms they use. I think what is fundamental, as all presidents of Europe share, and I believe all parliamentarians both in Canada and Europe take the view, is what matters is the substance. What are we actually building together? How do we combine our strengths in a way that serves our people better?"

10. CARNEY AND METSOLA SHAKING HANDS AND LEAVING LECTERN

11. CARNEY AND METSOLA WALKING AWAY