Canada needs closer ties with Europe to counter ‘power politics’: Macron

Prime Minister Mark Carney and France's President Emmanuel Macron talk about the future of Canada-France relations days before the G7 summit.

The French and Canadian leaders stressed on Friday the need for closer ties between Ottawa and Europe to offset global turbulence sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met ahead of a G7 summit next week in Evian, on the shores of Lake Geneva.

“Today more than ever, we share the same reading of the world.

“We are seeing that the international order is fragmented, that it is marked by the return of power politics, by the challenge to common rules, by economic coercion, by interference, by information warfare,” Macron said, referring especially to the tariff war launched by Trump.

“Deep down, we believe in the rule of law, in the international order, in science, in climate change and what it implies in terms of respecting our democratic values and protecting them, and in protecting our children as well,” he said, citing issues on which Trump frequently fuels controversy.

“In the face of this, our two countries share the same conviction -- democracies must be clear-eyed, strong and able to act together”.

Carney added in English: “Working together, Canada, France and Europe are poised to be a powerful force for good in the century ahead”.

Since his return to power, Trump has multiplied hostile statements against Canada, as well as commercial and economic attacks, again referring to Canada as the “51st state” of the U.S. on June 1 on his Truth Social network.