Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is embarking on a five-day European tour to bolster Canada’s trade and security relationships, as European allies brace for potential economic and sovereignty threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trudeau will visit Paris and Brussels starting Saturday, just days after Trump agreed to temporarily pause tariffs on Canada until March 4.
Roland Paris, a former Trudeau adviser and professor at the University of Ottawa, emphasized the importance of Canada and the EU coordinating strategies against Trump’s unpredictable trade policies.
“Nobody knows what Donald Trump is going to do next,” Paris said. “He keeps throwing out crazy ideas. He threatens the most dire consequences. Everybody is on the edge of their seat wondering what he’s going to do and whether they’re going to be the next target. In that kind of environment of uncertainty, it’s important for leaders to be speaking with each other.”
U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance will represent the Trump administration at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, where Trump is escalating threats of economic warfare against Canada while turning his attention to the EU.
On Monday, Trump warned he could expand tariffs to the EU, imposing a 10% levy on all goods. He also reiterated his controversial desire to take control of Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, and demanded all 32 NATO countries increase defense spending significantly.
Trudeau’s European visit is also focused on fortifying alliances and reducing dependence on the U.S., which has threatened Canada with economic coercion under Trump. His agenda includes addressing the AI summit co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he may attempt to dissuade Vice-President Vance from escalating a trade war.
Following Paris, Trudeau will meet with EU leaders in Brussels and hold talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Steve Saideman, a political scientist at Carleton University, criticized Trump’s approach to NATO, saying, “The whole idea of the United States asking for territory from its NATO members is a violation of everything that NATO stands for. NATO is supposed to be a defensive alliance of countries that are supposed to get along with each other, not threaten each other.”
Saideman noted that discussions between Trudeau and Rutte could cover defense spending, NATO’s contingency plans if Trump withdraws the U.S. from the alliance, and ongoing support for Ukraine should the U.S. cut aid.
Another critical issue on Trudeau’s agenda is protecting Canada from a potential trade war. While the federal government is addressing Trump’s border security concerns to prevent tariffs, it is also focused on trade diversification.
Natural Resources and Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson highlighted the EU’s growing concerns over Trump’s stance on Canada, saying, “I think many are of the view that if the president would do something like this to Canada, which historically has been the closest ally of the United States, what may be in store for Europe?”
Canada’s trade relationship with the EU is governed by the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), signed by Trudeau in 2016. Despite promises of expanded market opportunities and lower prices on European goods, CETA remains unratified in 10 EU member states, including Belgium and France. Experts say now is the time for Trudeau to push for its full ratification.
“Both Canada and the EU are looking for trusted partners, and there are not that many around these days,” said Ruben Zaiotti, director of the Jean Monnet European Union Centre of Excellence at Dalhousie University. “They need each other.”
Meanwhile, the AI Action Summit, where Trudeau and Macron are key participants, is set to be a defining event in the global conversation on artificial intelligence. Trudeau and Macron previously signed a global AI partnership in 2020, and AI is expected to be a focal point at the G7 Summit Canada will host in June.
Francis Syms, associate dean at Humber Polytechnic, sees the AI summit as a critical moment to establish regulatory frameworks before society becomes overly dependent on the technology.
“It’s really important to consider whether or not it’s OK to be reliant on the private industry and big tech,” Syms said. “AI being a nice-to-have now is a must-to-have tomorrow.… If we don’t start writing the rules for AI today, then AI is effectively going to tell us what to do tomorrow.”
Source: Swifteradio.com
