Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to travel to Paris on his first official visit seeking to shore up support from one of Canada's oldest allies as US President Donald Trump continues to attack Canada's sovereignty and economy.
The trip to meet French President Emmanuel Macron will be followed by a visit to London, where he will speak to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III — who is also Canada's head of state.
Carney deliberately chose the two European capital cities that shaped Canada's early existence, dodging Trump for now.
During his swearing-in ceremony, he noted the country was built on the bedrock of three peoples, French, English and Indigenous. Carney said Canada is fundamentally different from the US and will "never, ever, in any way shape or form, be part of the United States."
Since Trump came to office, he has imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium and repeatedly said he would make Canada the "51st state".
Those moves have infuriated Canadians and sparked a call to boycott US products across the country.
Trump has also threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products on 2 April.
On Monday, a senior Canadian government official briefed reporters, saying the purpose of the trip is to double down on partnerships with London and Paris.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ottawa is a "good friend of the United States but we all know what is going on."
Carney will visit the Notre Dame Cathedral before meeting with Macron at the Élysée Palace. However, Macron isn't expected to hold a joint news conference with Carney, a sign the French president might not want to upset Trump by siding with Canada.
Before returning to Ottawa on Tuesday, Carney will travel to the edge of Canada's Arctic to "reaffirm Canada’s Arctic security and sovereignty."
"The choice of this itinerary for Prime Minister Carney's first official trip emphasises the strong connection of Canada with the Arctic as well as with the two former colonial powers Canada remains attached to, through the Commonwealth on the UK side and La Francophonie on the France side," said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.
"The fact that Canada never broke away from the UK in a violent fashion is a key historical and institutional difference between the United States and Canada, a constitutional monarchy rather than a republic that has adopted and retained a UK-style parliamentary system."
No Washington trip planned
Former central banker, Carney has said he's ready to meet with Trump if he shows respect for Canadian sovereignty.
However, he stated he doesn't plan to visit Washington at the moment, yet hopes to have a phone call with the president soon.
His government is also reviewing the purchase of US-made F-35 fighter jets in light of the brewing trade war.
Meanwhile, Macron has been ramping up efforts to persuade France's allies to move away from purchases of American military hardware, which dovetails with Canada’s rethink on F-35s.
It also coincides with mounting questions and concerns in Europe that European defences are overly dependent on US weaponry, technical support and goodwill.
Carney spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday and invited him to the G7 summit this summer, which Canada is hosting.
Trump said he would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as he pushes to end Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Carney is expected to call an election by the end of the week, which will take place in late April or early May.
