Prime Minister Mark Carney says any enhanced partnership between Canada and the European Union will ultimately be put before Parliament for debate and a final vote.
Speaking alongside European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday, Carney said Canadians will be able to scrutinize the details of a new alliance being negotiated between Ottawa and Brussels.
"Yes, we will have a series of debates, I'm sure, in Parliament, relevant committees, and ultimately there will be a vote in the Canadian Parliament for the final structure of the alliance that we're working on," Carney said during a news conference alongside Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament.
"The next important point is the summit, European-Canada summit in Montreal at the 29th and 30th of October, but it will all roll out transparently. It's an exciting time because this is an opportunity to speak for Canada. Make Canada stronger, more sovereign, more independent, more prosperous, more sustainable."
Carney also stressed that Canada is not seeking full membership in the European Union.
"This is a different framework," he said.
Details of partnership still being worked out
Questions remain about how the arrangement will ultimately be described.
Carney said the "nomenclature" for the new relationship will be determined by the EU, adding that the substance of the agreement matters more than the title attached to it.
A similar debate is expected within the European Parliament.
"We look forward and positively at new opportunities with allies such as Canada, with whom we have had partnerships and alliances, call them what you will, for hundreds of years," Metsola said.
"The overwhelmingly positive reaction of members in plenary just a few moments ago will be reflected in a similar reaction in the committees, of that, I have no doubt."
Earlier Thursday, Carney told the European Parliament he supports European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's ambition to make Canada the first associate member of the EU.
"We welcome this ambition — polling shows an overwhelming majority of Canadians support much closer ties,” he said.
That position marks a shift in tone from earlier comments by Canadian officials, who had downplayed references to Canada becoming an "associate member." Ottawa continues to maintain that no official label has yet been chosen for the enhanced partnership.
Focus on trade, defence and economic ties
Carney said a closer Canada-EU relationship should include deeper co-operation on critical minerals, defence, artificial intelligence and energy security.
He also called for measures that would make it easier for young people to live, work and study on either side of the Atlantic, along with efforts to create a more integrated market for financial services.
Metsola suggested one possibility could be Canada's participation in Erasmus+, the EU's student exchange program.
"If you ask our young people what they associate the European Union with, I would tell you Erasmus is the first thing they mentioned. Horizon is the second thing they mention in terms of opportunities that with Canada could only get bigger," she said.
Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research and innovation funding program, has a budget of roughly $150 billion for the 2021-2027 period.
U.S. tensions remain in the background
While Carney did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump by name during his address, he repeatedly highlighted shared democratic values between Canada and Europe at a time of growing tensions with Washington.
"We are not fair-weather allies. We do not pursue zero-sum deals. Our commitment to the rule of law, and our unyielding defence of human dignity, individual freedom and democracy share the same deep roots, the same unwavering dedication," Carney said.
"We hold common values, for which we have always fought, and in whose defence we must always remain vigilant."
The comments came a day after Trump said he views the prospect of Canada becoming an associate member of the EU as a "hostile act" in the ongoing trade dispute and threatened additional tariffs against Europe.
Carney argued stronger ties with Europe would not come at the expense of Canada's relationship with the United States.
"A deeper alliance will make Canada a better partner with the United States," he said.
"Canadians are united that nobody is going to tell us what language we speak, no one going to dictate our culture or with whom we can strike agreements. Internationally."
Conservatives raise sovereignty concerns
In his speech, Carney also pushed back against suggestions that closer integration with Europe is about building a new global power bloc.
"I am not proposing a third bloc in order to become a great-power rival — only with better manners," he said.
"We do not seek power to dominate others. On the contrary, we are pursuing resilience so that no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity, or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law."
Conservative MPs have raised concerns that associate membership with the EU could compromise Canadian sovereignty. They have warned it could lead to open-border policies, significant transfers of tax revenue to Brussels and increased competition for Canadian jobs, although it remains unclear whether any such measures would be part of an associate membership arrangement.
Meanwhile, a Canada-EU trade agreement that has been provisionally in place for nine years still awaits full ratification, with 10 of the EU's 27 member countries yet to approve it. Canadian exporters have also been slower to take advantage of access to European markets than European companies operating in Canada.h the United States."
- with files from The Canadian Press
