Carney to address European Parliament as Canada pivots away from US

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to address the European Parliament next month, a move that highlights Ottawa's accelerating pivot toward Europe as trade tensions with Washington reach a new peak.

Carney's office confirmed on Wednesday that he will also attend the European Union's annual State of the Union address. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled to deliver her address on September 16, with Carney expected to speak the following day.

The visit comes just days after US-Canada trade negotiations collapsed. The Trump administration subsequently imposed fresh 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, prompting Ottawa to announce retaliatory measures of its own.

Europe has emerged as a cornerstone of Canada's strategy to reduce its reliance on the United States. Since taking office in March 2025, Carney has made at least 11 trips to the continent, arguing that middle powers should cooperate rather than compete for the favour of larger nations.

His government has also formalised deeper ties through a security and defence pact, and this year Canada became the first non-European country to join the EU's Security Action for Europe initiative.

Carney has set an ambitious target of doubling Canada's non-US exports within a decade. A former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, he brings longstanding personal and professional connections to Europe to the effort.