Turning away from the USA: Donald Trump is driving Canada into the arms of the EU

Carney is betting on Europe

Trump’s pressure is not working on Canada

Donald Trump likes to talk about how he would make Canada part of the USA. Instead, the country is now on the way to orienting itself much more towards the EU.

David Schafbuch reports from New York

Neither Mark Carney was around big words Ursula von der Leyen embarrassed. “We share an ocean, the same values, the same worldview. And we will now shape our common future,” said the EU Commission President on Wednesday in front of the European Parliament Strasbourg. That’s why she wants Canada be the first country to become an “associate” member of the EU.

Carney then took up the offer in his speech to Parliament on Thursday. “An alliance between Canada and the EU would create a beacon for other democracies,” said the Canadian prime minister. “Canada and Europe are each strong. Europe and Canada are stronger together,” said Carney in Strasbourg.

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At this point, the rapprochements between Canada and the EU are nothing more than announcements. But they reveal that something is changing in the power structure between Canada and the USA has postponed. The traditionally close partnership between the two countries has increased under US President Donald Trump suffered.

The fact that Canada is now turning more towards the EU is further evidence that Trump’s policy is reaching its limits when dealing with actual partner states. Trump is increasingly unable to get them to give in by putting political or economic pressure on them. Instead, he is primarily encouraging Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney in his foreign policy line: greater networking between the world’s middle powers.

It has been evident for a long time that things are developing to Trump’s disadvantage in relation to Canada. In fact, the US president’s policies have led to the fact that he has a self-confident prime minister in Ottawa. At the beginning of Trump’s second term in office, the US President threatened Canada with tariffs early on. The president also spoke about wanting to make Canada part of the USA.

Carney and his Liberal Party were able to use these threats to their advantage in the general election in spring 2025. Originally, the Canadian Conservatives were in the lead in the polls Voter favor clearly in front. Their top candidate, Pierre Poilievre, was more aligned with Trump’s policies and promoted himself with the slogan “Canada First”.

Carney’s party, on the other hand, distanced itself from Trump and placed state sovereignty and trade security at the center of its campaign. As a result, Carney won almost an absolute majority in parliament. Poilievre, however, as the leading candidate, failed to win his own constituency.