Free Trade

Canada Is Moving Closer to Europe. Trump's Tariffs Help Explain Why.

As Ottawa’s trade war with the U.S. worsens, Brussels proposes closer trade, security, and technology ties, including an unprecedented "associate member” status.

Ryan Curtis | 9.17.2026 4:40 PM

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President Donald Trump's habit of ostracizing America's allies is making it a precarious time to be American, European, or Canadian.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen summarized this precarity at Wednesday's State of the European Union address, saying, "We must urgently reimagine our partnerships." Though the address was delivered to the European Parliament, the remarks were directed to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was visiting the assembly and conspicuously seated to von der Leyen's left on the stage.

Von der Leyen then invited Canada to join the European Union (E.U.) as the bloc's first "associate member." The designation does not yet have a clear definition, but the two sides have said that they hope it will yield closer cooperation in energy, trade, technology, and Arctic security. In his speech to the European Parliament on Thursday, Carney said he intends to integrate the two markets further and join the E.U.'s student exchange program, Erasmus .

Canada and the E.U. have long been partners, and the trend is accelerating. Under the 2017 Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement........

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