Terry Newman: Standing alone is brave, actually

MONTREAL, QUE.: October 30, 2026 -- Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speak with the media after meeting in Montreal on Friday, October 30, 2026. (Tim Snow / MONTREAL GAZETTE)

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The 21st Canada-European Union Summit kicked off in Montreal this week, and so far, it looks like Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen forgot to compare notes.

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In her speech, Von der Leyen, once again, used the term “associate member” and said that Canada and the EU could “build a partnership that comes closer to membership than anything we’ve done before.”

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What is that supposed to mean?

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Von der Leyen stated the obvious about Canada not being able to become a full member, due to our geography, but said, “We are discussing the idea of Canada becoming the first associate member of the European Union,” adding that it would be “association without accession.”

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She made it sound simple, suggesting the arrangement would be mutually beneficial, without downsides. Canada would simply work with the EU on policies relating to “everything,” including student-mobility programs, energy, security, artificial intelligence, climate and “more work shared” between the two, which could include co-operation between parliaments, courts and “closer alignment in each other’s programs.”

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Which programs they are considering aligning on were left unclear, like the definition of our membership.

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More importantly, how does linking Canada to the EU and its decisions strengthen Canada’s sovereignty, as Carney suggested at the summit?

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Von der Leyen’s explanation did not clarify how European or Canadian citizens may be affected by this new kind of membership. If the EU members overwhelmingly vote for something, will Canada be required to go along? How will it be defined?

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And the last time I checked, Canadians hadn’t voted on any of this. Who says Canadians want to be in line with EU policies?

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At a press conference Thursday, Carney told reporters, in his characteristically dismissive way, “This new alliance is not a marketing exercise. The name doesn’t matter. What matters is that the complementarities of our two jurisdictions strengthen our sovereignty.”

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Of course, we know that’s not true. Members of the EU are bound to certain requirements and responsibilities because they are “members.” You can guarantee that “associate member,” or whatever Canada ends up being labelled, will have its own detailed requirements, which will likely never be run by Canadians for approval.

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We continue to be Carney’s mushrooms, left in the dark, whether it be about the specifics of why he walked away from a U.S. trade deal at the last minute or what the specifics of Canada being wrapped up in an EU membership will actually entail.

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This is unacceptable.

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The Wall Street Journal discovered that Carney rigorously pursued this membership, though he rebuffed this, and said he was looking for a “unique alliance.”