Mark Carney at the European Parliament on September 17th to strengthen ties with the EU

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will address the European Parliament on September 17, as trade talks between Ottawa and Washington have failed and the United States has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Canadian products.

The invitation is as much political as it is protocol-driven. Mark Carney will address the European Parliament on September 17th, and will attend the State of the Union address delivered the day before by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The President of the Parliament, Roberta Metsola, hailed on X as "an important visit" that should "strengthen ties between the EU and Canada and consolidate our relationship."

While Brussels regularly invites distinguished guests to this annual event, the invitation extended to the Canadian Prime Minister contrasts sharply with previous editions, which tended to focus more on figures from civil society or on Ukraine. This time, the context is one of an open trade war between Ottawa and Washington.

On August 24, the Trump administration imposed tariffs of up to 50% on $20 billion (€17 billion) worth of Canadian goods. Ottawa immediately announced dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs, an unprecedented escalation between the two neighboring countries. Trade talks had already collapsed the previous week after months of negotiations, with Canada accusing Washington of infringing on its sovereignty by demanding concessions regarding the status of French, limiting its ability to conclude separate agreements, and making what it considered exorbitant demands.

The Trump administration, for its part, maintains that Canada underinvests in its defense, benefits from American protection without bearing the cost, and that Carney is resorting to aggressive negotiating tactics. Donald Trump also stated on Tuesday that he was considering renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America," after having already renamed the Gulf of Mexico "Gulf of America." The American president has repeatedly referred to Canada as an American state and contested the demarcation of the shared border, which he considers arbitrary.

Carney, former governor of the central banks of Canada and the United Kingdom, has been advocating for several months for the formation of a coalition of middle powers in the face of American pressure. His trip to Strasbourg is part of this strategy to strengthen ties with the European Union, with which Canada already has a relationship through the CETA trade agreement.