Mark Carney says "What matters is the substance" in Canada-EU partnership talks

At a news conference in Strasbourg on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed openness to a deeper Canada-European Union partnership, after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen invited Canada to become the first country with associate status in the bloc and proposed a broad alliance. President Donald Trump warned that the EU accepting Canada as an associate member could lead to retaliation, including heavy tariffs or bans on trade, and Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre criticized it as weakening Canadian sovereignty. Carney said Canada was not seeking full EU membership and that the two sides were discussing a different framework. He pledged an open process and said Canadian lawmakers would debate the details and ultimately vote on any final structure.