Canadian PM to Meet With EU Allies     03/17 06:02

   New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Paris Monday to meet with 
French President Emmanuel Macron, seeking support from one of Canada's oldest 
allies as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to attack Canada's sovereignty 
and economy.

   PARIS (AP) -- New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Paris 
Monday to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, seeking support from one 
of Canada's oldest allies as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to attack 
Canada's sovereignty and economy.

   This is Carney's first official foreign trip since he was sworn in on March 
14. He will next land in London where he will sit down with U.K. Prime Minister 
Keir Starmer and King Charles III, the head of state in Canada.

   Why Paris and London?

   Carney has deliberately chosen the two European capital cities that shaped 
Canada's early existence. During his swearing-in ceremony, he noted the country 
was built on the bedrock of three peoples, French, English and Indigenous, and 
said Canada is fundamentally different from America and will "never, ever, in 
any way shape or form, be part of the United States."

   Since Trump came to office, he has imposed whopping tariffs on Canadian 
steel and aluminum and repeatedly commented on turning Canada into the 51st 
state, infuriating Canadians and sparking a call to boycott U.S. products 
across the country. He is threatening to impose tariffs on all Canadian 
products on April 2.

   On Monday, a senior Canadian government official briefed reporters on the 
plane before picking up Carney in Montreal, saying the purpose of the trip is 
to double down on partnerships with London and Paris. The official, who spoke 
on condition of anonymity as he is not allowed to speak publicly, said Canada 
is a "good friend of the United States but we all know what is going on."

   Carney will visit the Notre-Dame Cathedral before meeting with Macron at the 
Palais de l'lyse. However, Macron isn't expected to hold a joint news 
conference with Carney, a sign the French president might not want to upset 
Trump by siding with Canada.

   Before returning to Ottawa on Tuesday, Carney will travel to the edge of 
Canada's Arctic to "reaffirm Canada's Arctic security and sovereignty."

   "The choice of this itinerary for Prime Minister Carney's first official 
trip emphasizes the strong connection of Canada with the Arctic as well as with 
the two former colonial powers Canada remains attached to, through the 
Commonwealth on the U.K. side and La Francophonie on the France side, said 
Daniel Bland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

   "The fact that Canada never broke away from the U.K. in a violent fashion is 
a key historical and institutional difference between the United States and 
Canada, a constitutional monarchy rather than a republic that has adopted and 
retained a U.K.-style parliamentary system."

   The trip to London will be a bit of a homecoming, as Carney became the first 
non-British governor in the Bank of England's 319-year history when he took 
over the top job on July 1, 2013. He served until March 15, 2020.

   No Washington trip planned

   Carney, a former central banker who turned 60 on Sunday, has said he's ready 
to meet with Trump if he shows respect for Canadian sovereignty. He said he 
doesn't plan to visit Washington at the moment but hopes to have a phone call 
with the president soon. His government is also reviewing the purchase of 
U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets in light of Trump's trade war.

   Meanwhile, Macron has been ramping up efforts to persuade France's allies to 
move away from purchases of American military hardware, which dovetails with 
Canada's rethink on F-35s and also coincides with mounting questions and 
concerns in Europe that European defenses are overly dependent on U.S. 
weaponry, technical support and goodwill.

   Carney spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a call late 
Sunday and invited him to the G7 summit this summer, which Canada is hosting. 
Trump said he would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as he 
pushes to end the war in Ukraine.

   Carney is expected to call an election by the end of the week, to take place 
in late April or early May. Canada's governing Liberal Party had appeared 
poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared economic 
war. Now, the party and its new leader could come out on top.