Trade and Triumph: Carney Hits Europe, Skates Past U.S.
Fresh off his swearing-in as Canada’s 24th prime minister, Mark Carney is set to embark on his first overseas mission, a whirlwind tour spanning Paris, London, and Iqaluit from March 16 to 18. Announced Saturday by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the trip aims to bolster ties with key allies and assert Canada’s Arctic sovereignty amid simmering tensions with the United States.
In Paris, Carney will huddle with French President Emmanuel Macron, leveraging the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement to deepen economic, commercial, and defence links. Next, in London, he’ll meet U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to advance transatlantic security, AI growth, and trade via the Canada-U.K. Trade Continuity Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. A high-profile audience with King Charles III is also on the docket—his second meeting with a Canadian PM in weeks, following Justin Trudeau’s early March visit.
The trip wraps in Iqaluit, where Carney will confer with Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok and the Iqaluit Patrol of 1 Canadian Rangers Patrol Group, underscoring Canada’s Arctic security. “This journey strengthens our longest-standing partnerships and reaffirms our northern sovereignty,” the PMO stated, framing it as a counterpoint to U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation rhetoric.
Charles has signaled support—donning Canadian medals, planting a maple tree at Buckingham Palace, and gifting a ceremonial sword to Canada’s Usher of the Black Rod—yet his silence on the U.S.-Canada rift, paired with a February invite to Trump at Balmoral, has stirred debate. Carney, who takes office amid a trade war “crisis,” sidestepped plans to meet Trump, focusing instead on European and Arctic priorities.
Online, Canadians see the trip as a bold opener—some laud the global stage flex, others question the domestic delay as an election looms. With Trudeau’s recent royal talks still fresh, Carney’s audience with Charles carries symbolic weight in a fraught geopolitical moment.