TORONTO, September 24 — The flags in Nathan Phillips Square snapped in a cold wind off Lake Ontario on Thursday as word spread that Canada might be offered something no country has ever held: associate membership in the European Union. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the proposal public on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Canadian officials had initially pushed back on news reports of the possibility before von der Leyen confirmed it.
By Thursday, September 17, Canada’s own vision was becoming clearer. Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed von der Leyen’s ambition and described what he wanted as an “alliance for the future” spanning critical minerals, defence, artificial intelligence, energy, digital trade, research and financial services.
He also called for making it easier for young Canadians and Europeans to work, study and live on either side of the Atlantic. “Canada and Europe are each strong,” Carney said. “Europe and Canada are stronger together.”
A trade war next door
The proposal emerged amid a trade war between Canada and the United States after negotiations failed to head off US President Donald Trump’s threatened 50 percent tariffs on nearly $20bn worth of Canadian products, including machinery, textiles and hockey sticks. Back-and-forth retaliatory measures have resulted in both sides slapping new tariffs on each other. Trump responded to the talks by threatening action against the EU if it moves forward with von der Leyen’s proposal.
“If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,” he told reporters. He called the proposal “laughable.” Whatever the partnership is ultimately called, getting closer to Europe appears to have broad support at home.
An Abacus Data survey conducted from September 4 to 9, before the proposal was officially confirmed, found 81 percent of Canadians supported closer integration with the EU while remaining outside the bloc, including making it easier for transatlantic trade, travel, work and study. Eighty percent backed deeper cooperation on foreign policy, defence and economic priorities, up six percentage points since February.
David Coletto, founder and CEO of Abacus Data, said he did not expect those numbers to have shifted significantly now that the conversation has turned to “associate membership.” He said the support makes more sense against a striking shift in how Canadians view the United States: positive impressions of the EU have risen to 71 percent, while just 21 percent now have a positive view of the US.
“Canadians overwhelmingly [feel] still angry and a sense of betrayal over how the Trump administration has approached the Canada-US relationship,” Coletto told Al Jazeera. Asked which side they had more in common with in terms of values, way of life and outlook on the world, 56 percent chose countries in the EU, while only 16 percent chose the United States.
While older Canadians were more likely to prioritise trade and security, 38 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds polled by Abacus listed study, training and research among their top priorities for a closer EU relationship.
On the ground in Toronto
In Nathan Phillips Square, residents describe a country rethinking its place in the world. Flight attendant Donna Gordon, who has travelled frequently to Europe for work and said she had seen its “efficiency” and “innovation” firsthand, welcomed closer ties given “the state of our negotiations with the United States right now, or lack thereof.” She was particularly excited about greater opportunities for younger Canadians to study and work in Europe.
Riyad Choy, a Canadian who works for a tech company in New York, said greater freedom to live and work in Europe was particularly appealing. “I would love to have the opportunity,” he said.
“I want to be able to have that freedom of movement.” Peter Van Driel, a hydrogeologist whose father is Dutch Canadian and who previously lived in Germany, described Canada as culturally “sort of in between” Europe and the United States, pointing to differences in healthcare, gun laws, parental leave and vacation time.
Talk of closer ties spawned a flood of memes, including an X user joking, “Telling my boss I don’t need to show up for work today cuz I’m [European],” and another writing, “If Canada joins the EU I’m taking [seven] weeks off work next summer.” Canada is not joining the EU. The proposal on the table is associate membership, a status no country has held before.
What comes next is whether von der Leyen’s offer survives Trump’s threat of retaliation — and whether Carney’s “alliance for the future” takes shape before the tariffs bite deeper.
