Macron and Carney pledge deeper France-Canada ties amid tensions with Trump
France's and Canada's leaders met on Saint-Pierre and Miquelon to discuss closer bilateral cooperation and Canada's possible EU association, weeks after Trump posted an image showing North America under a US flag.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met on Sunday on Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a French territory off Canada's Atlantic coast, pledging to deepen cooperation amid rising geopolitical tension, climate change and what they described as an erosion of democratic norms. The visit marked the first trip by a French president to the islands since 2014 and the first ever by a Canadian prime minister.
The meeting came weeks after Donald Trump shared an image on social media depicting the United States flag draped over a map covering Canada and other North American territories, including Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, labelled "United States of America". Asked about the post, Macron dismissed any suggestion the territories were not French, saying he did not need to restate the obvious just because of unusual claims made elsewhere.
Carney said the two countries' societies were being tested by new pressures — climate-driven upheaval, weakening democratic norms and emerging threats to sovereignty — and that the moment called for stronger ties. Macron said the allies had agreed to expand cooperation in areas including space, climate and energy, pointing to shared commitments to democracy, the rule of law and fair trade.
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon holds strategic value for France given its proximity to the US and the Arctic. Macron, whose government faces domestic pressure over rising fuel prices, said the talks paved the way for further bilateral negotiations, including hopes that Canada would direct more of its liquefied natural gas exports toward Europe rather than mainly to Asian markets.
The leaders also discussed a European Union proposal to make Canada its first-ever associate member, an idea Macron said France backed. Trump has called the proposal "laughable" and threatened the EU with steep tariffs and a trade halt in response. Deeper integration still faces obstacles: the EU-Canada trade agreement, provisionally in effect for nine years, remains unratified by several member states, including France.
