Singing along with Europe

Canada and the European Union are now seriously dating but, so far, it has largely been performative and symbolic signalling, with little substance. Details of collaborative endeavours to date are few, but not unreasonably so. We'll see how far Prime Minister Mark Carney gets.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met in Strasbourg, France, after Carney attended her State of the European Union address Sept. 16, 2026.Photograph courtesy of European Union photograph 202X, licensed under CC BY 4.0

Opinion

BY NELSON WISEMAN

October 5, 2026

TORONTO—European perceptions—indeed, world perceptions—of Canada have shifted since Europeans “discovered” it. French philosopher Voltaire described Canada as “a few acres of snow.” During the Seven Years War, future British prime minister William Pitt assigned...

To keep reading, subscribe and become a political insider.

Only $7.76 a week for an annual subscription.

Enjoy unlimited website access and the digital newspaper.

Cancel anytime.

Already a Subscriber?

Get Weekend Point of View Newsletter

A round up of the past weekâ€™s opinion writers and columnists on Saturdays and Sundays.

By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. You may unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy policy

FOLLOW THE HILL TIMES: