Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday embraced the prospect of his country acceding to the European Union as its inaugural associate member, averring that closer ties with the continent would guarantee that no nation could exert dominion over Canada’s markets or erode its sovereignty.

Carney’s address to the European Parliament was punctuated by repeated encomiums to European–Canadian cooperation — yet the relationship with the United States, which has underpinned Canada’s economy for decades and has grown increasingly embittered, loomed over the proceedings.

Trump’s tariffs, his insistence upon economic concessions, and his persistent rhetoric envisaging Canada as the 51st state have impelled Ottawa to diminish its reliance upon its neighbour and to pursue a markedly more profound economic, security and political relationship with Europe.

Carney apprised the parliament that he welcomed the proposal unveiled on Wednesday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whilst conceding that “associate membership” remains to be delineated.

He delineated the contours of his proposal: a deepening of integration spanning trade, defense, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, space, research and financial services, calculated to render both sides less susceptible to economic and geopolitical coercion.

He subsequently apprised reporters that he was not seeking full membership of the EU.

"We do not seek power to dominate others," he said.

"Quite the contrary: we are pursuing resilience so that no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity, or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law."

Upon his entry into the chamber in Strasbourg, France, the prime minister was greeted with an ebullient reception — numerous lawmakers converging upon him to clasp his hand and solicit selfies — and, following his address, a standing ovation.

One parliamentarian had donned a Canadian hockey jersey.

On Wednesday, von der Leyen put forward a proposal to confer upon Canada the status of the EU’s first associate member — a designation that presently finds no basis in the bloc’s treaties and would therefore necessitate its creation.

Europe, she averred, seeks to elevate its relationship with Canada to “the highest level possible.”

Carney, seated in the chamber's foremost row, nodded and rose to embrace von der Leyen as lawmakers accorded the proposal a standing ovation.

Von der Leyen asserted that Canada and the EU ought to transcend their extant free trade agreement and forge an “Alliance for the Future” encompassing a “common prosperity and economic security space.”

Carney will play host to EU leaders at a summit convened in Montreal on Oct. 29–30, at which juncture the two sides are anticipated to deliberate upon the proposed new relationship in greater depth.

Canada funnels approximately 70% of its exports to the United States, rendering it acutely vulnerable to Trump's tariffs.

Ottawa has retaliated and spurned demands that Carney says imperil Canadian sovereignty.

Europe charted a divergent course, eschewing retaliation and acquiescing to tariffs of as much as 15% on the preponderance of EU exports to the U.S.

Trump intimated that the proposed EU arrangement might constitute a “hostile act,” and menaced Europe with punitive tariffs should he deem its intentions inimical — escalating the stakes in advance of Carney’s address.

When questioned regarding Trump’s remarks, Carney asserted that Canadians stood resolutely united in spurning any external endeavours to dictate the nation’s choices.

“Canadians are of one mind that no one shall presume to dictate the language we speak.

No one shall dictate our culture, nor with whom we may enter into international agreements,” Carney said.

Carney has repeatedly exhorted those he designates as middle powers to withstand economic coercion.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, he cautioned that when nations negotiate singly with a dominant power, “we negotiate from weakness.

We accept what is offered.”

The ensuing day witnessed Trump's excoriation of him.

Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s ambassador-designate to the EU, averred that Ottawa aspires “to get as close as we possibly can” to Europe whilst simultaneously augmenting Canada’s independence.

While associate membership remains a matter for negotiation, Canada has already taken a decisive stride: this year it became the first non-European nation to accede to the EU’s €150-billion ($173-billion) SAFE defense procurement program, thereby affording Canadian companies access to joint procurement as Europe escalates its defense spending.

The two parties have furthermore deliberated upon the prospect of forging closer cooperation in the domains of energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence and digital trade.

Carney averred that any augmented accord with the EU would be subjected to parliamentary debate in Canada and ultimately submitted to a decisive vote.

"The policies and rhetoric of the Trump administration are manifestly impelling both Canada and the EU to envisage a world devoid of robust U.S. leadership and to act in accordance with that vision," said Daniel Béland, a professor of political science at McGill University in Montreal.

Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, observed that Europeans have long regarded Canada as a nation possessed of a particularly acute understanding of the United States, owing to their profound economic and political ties.

Carney’s readiness to defy Trump rather than promptly accede to Washington’s demands has, he said, served to entrench that perception.

"Carney's astuteness in his dealings with Trump has seized Europe's attention," Wiseman observed.