Shona Murray: Why the EU should seize the chance to build a closer alliance with Canada

Shona Murray says that growing tensions with the US make deeper EU-Canada cooperation an opportunity Europe should not squander.

Canada's prime minister Mark Carney and US president Donald Trump at the White House in May 2025. File photo: Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP

The ambition for Canada to become an associate member of the EU should be grasped by both sides.

Although the definition doesn't exist — which presents something of an opportunity — on the face of it, it sounds as close to membership as a country can get without going through the enlargement process.