Carney Addresses European Parliament as Trump Calls EU Tie a “Hostile Act”

Keenan Hutka September 17, 2026 1 minute read

STRASBOURG / OTTAWA – September 17, 2026 – Prime Minister Mark Carney is addressing the European Parliament today as Ottawa explores becoming the European Union’s first “associate member,” a step U.S. President Donald Trump has called a possible “hostile act.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen floated the idea Wednesday. Carney said Canada welcomes the “ambition,” while officials caution that the legal meaning of associate membership is still undefined. A Republican senator from a border state also warned Carney against tightening links with Brussels.

The speech comes a day after Trump signed a memorandum directing U.S. agencies to identify Canadian-origin goods in federal procurement and move to remove them. New 50 per cent U.S. tariffs on 110 Canadian products took effect earlier this week. Canada has applied to join the United Kingdom’s Joint Expeditionary Force.

For Northwestern Ontario, the fight is already showing up in higher import costs for retailers and rising diesel prices for Highway 17 trucking. FONOM and NOMA last week again asked Ford and Carney to four-lane Highways 11 and 17 as national supply-chain routes.