Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has accepted an invitation to attend the European Union’s State of the Union address in Strasbourg on September 16, 2026. Invited as a guest of honor by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Carney will become the first foreign head of government to attend the flagship event, where he will also deliver a speech to the European Parliament the following day.
The visit underscores a significant pivot in Canada’s foreign policy as Ottawa pivots away from escalating trade tensions with Washington. After bilateral negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed over controversial last-minute conditions, Washington slapped tariffs on Canadian goods, triggering Ottawa to retaliate with heavy levies on American steel and aluminum. Tensions further heightened after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance disparagingly referred to Canada as a “state.”
Facing a fractured relationship with the United States, Carney is actively working to forge an alliance of democracies centered on free trade and economic resilience. European leadership, including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, has welcomed the alignment, viewing the upcoming address as a crucial opportunity to deepen strategic, economic, and security cooperation between the EU and Canada
