Carney Calls for Deeper Partnership Between Canada and Europe Amid Global Storms

Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada and former Governor of the Bank of England, addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on September 17, 2026. He spoke about the importance of fighting for ideals and preserving freedom, drawing parallels between the struggle for democracy during World War II and the current challenges facing the global community.

Citing the example of a Goethe oak tree that stood near the Buchenwald concentration camp, Carney emphasized the need to defend human dignity, individual freedom, and democracy. He noted that the roots of this shared values-based partnership between Canada and Europe date back centuries, citing the story of Leslie Miller, a Canadian Lieutenant who gathered acorns from European soil during World War I and replanted them in Ontario.

Carney argued that the current era is characterized by new storms: climate change, erosion of democratic norms, and the weaponization of trade. He emphasized that multilateral institutions have been weakened, and sovereignty and openness are increasingly difficult to reconcile. To address these challenges, he proposed a deeper partnership between Canada and Europe, leveraging their combined strengths in areas such as energy, critical minerals, space exploration, AI, and quantum technology.

Citing the success of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Carney advocated for building on each other's strengths to create scale and collective resilience. He proposed recognizing the ecosystem built between Canada and Europe is not yet equal to the ferocity of climate change, and that it must move faster to match the speed of upheaval.