Canada, France agree to deepen defence ties, share classified data

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) welcomes Canada's PM Mark Carney as he arrives for a summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on Jan 6.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to deepen defence and industrial cooperation and ease exchanges of classified information, as Canada seeks to strengthen ties with Europe amid volatile US trade policy.

Speaking before talks in Paris, Carney said the countries signed an agreement to share classified information across the defence, space, artificial intelligence and aerospace sectors.

“Working together, Canada, France and Europe are poised to be a powerful force for good in the century ahead,” Carney said.

Carney is set to attend the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in the French Alps but arrived early to meet Macron, before heading to Ireland for a two-day visit – part of a steady cadence of trips to Europe that underscores his strategy of building alliances among mid-sized powers.

That approach, outlined in his January Davos speech, aims both to counter geopolitical heavyweights and to bolster Canada’s economy, which has been strained by US tariffs on steel, aluminium, autos and lumber.

Macron said France serves as a key bridge between Canada and Europe.

“More than ever, we share the same understanding of the world,” he said. “We observe that the international order is fragmented, marked by the return of power politics, by challenges to established rules, by economic coercion, by interference and by information warfare.”

Closer European ties have become a defining thread of Carney’s policy agenda. His artificial intelligence strategy calls for a “coalition of aligned democracies” to rival dominant players, and AI is set to feature prominently in discussions with Macron. Canada’s new restrictions on youth social media use also align with priorities championed by the French President.

On defence and energy, the shift is already clear. Canada is ramping up military spending, joining the EU’s SAFE procurement programme and weighing purchases of European fighter jets and submarines, while German utilities have lined up as early buyers of Canadian liquefied natural gas as new export projects advance.

“Europe is Carney’s comfort zone. That becomes quite clear if you look at his pattern of travel,” said Roland Paris, a University of Ottawa professor and former adviser to Justin Trudeau. “Europe is central to his plans to diversify Canada’s trade relations beyond the US, and to build new industrial and technology partnerships.”

But there’s a delicate balancing act taking