Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wants a closer relationship with the European Union and is exploring whether his country could become an “associate member” of the bloc, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
The EU, which has not been flexible about membership rules in the past, is open to the idea of granting Canada a yet-to-be-created status of associate membership, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed officials both from the EU and Canada.
Canada’s embassy in Brussels and spokespeople at the European Commission did not respond to separate requests for comment.
Canada’s escalating trade war with the United States has added urgency to its strategic pivot towards other trading partners.
Relations between Ottawa and Washington have deteriorated sharply since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year due to disagreements over trade and other issues. The trade dispute has led to tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade.
Trump on Sunday renewed his criticism, calling Canada “the worst country to deal with”, but adding he thought the nation was “dying to make a deal”.
