French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney shake hands after a joint statement, at Elysee Palace, during Carney's first foreign visit as prime minister, in Paris, France March 17, 2025. Thomas Padilla/Pool via REUTERS
PARIS (Reuters) - Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said that it was important for Canada to strengthen ties with "reliable allies" in Europe, as he met French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday for his first overseas visit amid tensions with the United States.
Carney's decision to visit Paris instead of Washington, as is usual for Canadian leaders, comes after U.S. President Donald Trump escalated trade tensions with both Canada and Europe, and floated threats of annexing Canada.
"(It) is more important than ever for Canada to strengthen its ties with reliable allies like France," Carney said, ahead of a working lunch with Macron at the Elysee Palace, noting that Canada was "the most European of non-European countries."
Carney visits London later on Monday.
In a veiled reference to Trump, Macron said Canada was a good example of a country that defends its national interests while being collaborative on the global scene.
"I think we both believe that fair trade that respects international rules is good for everyone's prosperity, and is certainly more effective than tariffs," Macron said.
As the two men were leaving, a Canadian reporter in the room asked whether they wanted to tell Trump to "back off", but neither Carney nor Macron took questions from media.
Trump has shocked Western allies by imposing tariffs on their imports, questioning traditional alliances, and even floating threats of annexation for Canada or the Danish territory of Greenland since he came to office in January.
It is unclear how long Trump's tariffs will last, or what is driving his aspirations for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state.
(Reporting by Michel Rose; editing by Richard Lough and Rachna Uppal)
