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Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne has urged the United Kingdom to form a partnership with Canada within a proposed new alliance linking Ottawa to the European Union. Champagne made the call during an interview with the BBC after attending meetings with European finance ministers in Dublin alongside UK Chancellor John Healey. According to Champagne the initiative centres on building an alliance of the future grounded in shared democratic values and aligned world views between the two countries. He stressed that both nations remain independent and sovereign while gaining strength through cooperation.
The comments follow a proposal from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to open the door for Canada to become the first associate member of the EU. Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the idea in an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg last week where he called for deeper ties on defence critical minerals and energy security. A release from the Prime Minister’s Office described Carney’s European visit as aimed at forging an alliance of middle powers focused on economic growth resilience and security. Carney previously served as governor of the Bank of England before entering Canadian politics.
During the same trip Carney met UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Liverpool to discuss expanded collaboration in trade technology and defence. The Canadian government announced that Carney formally applied for Canada to join the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force a rapid response coalition of NATO nations. Canadian officials noted that the application reverses an earlier decision from more than a decade ago and will enhance military interoperability with European partners. The two prime ministers also agreed to advance work on the Global Combat Air Programme in which Canada holds observer status.
Canadian government data places trade with the UK at $85 billion annually making Britain Canada’s largest European partner. Figures from the Prime Minister’s Office show bilateral trade has grown by a third since 2024 while the EU overall accounts for roughly $178 billion in Canadian goods and services trade. In a joint statement issued after their June 2025 summit Canadian and UK leaders committed to a new economic and trade working group to tackle market barriers and explore cooperation on critical minerals and artificial intelligence. The partnership builds on Canada’s accession to the CPTPP which entered into force with the UK in September 2026.
Champagne told the BBC that the moment offered great opportunities to strengthen existing Canada-EU relations through an associate membership model. “This is all about the substance, to build an alliance of the future,” he said. The minister added “We need to look at partnership in a different way, and the great thing is that when you look at Canada, and I would say the United Kingdom, we share the same values. We are very aligned in our vision of the world. Why don’t we team up?” He concluded that the countries are “independent and sovereign, but we are stronger together.”
Carney’s government has pointed to potential benefits such as Canadian liquefied natural gas and hydrogen exports to bolster European energy security in exchange for EU clean technology expertise. According to the Prime Minister’s Office the proposed alliance would also expand people-to-people links including Canadian participation in the EU’s Erasmus+ student exchange programme. EU and Canadian negotiators continue to define the scope of associate membership with attention to artificial intelligence quantum computing and Arctic projects as highlighted in recent bilateral releases. The developments coincide with broader efforts to diversify supply chains following shifts in US trade policy.
