The Canada Brief

Canada · 8 d ago

Mark Carney meets Ursula von der Leyen, September 2026

European Commission Audiovisual Service / Photographer : Christophe Licoppe · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Carney says the Canada-EU summit will launch formal talks on a deeper partnership

Oct

29

Thursday

Montreal

Carney, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU officials meet in Montreal on Thursday and Friday. Carney says it launches formal negotiations over the next year.

What the talks cover

  • Shared labour pools in specialized fields
  • Canada joining the Erasmus+ student program
  • A digital trade agreement
  • Critical minerals investment and refining
  • Defence co-operation

The talks cover labour mobility in specialized fields, the Erasmus+ student exchange program, digital trade, critical minerals and defence.

"We're not talking about free movement of labour between Europe and Canada."

— Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's ambassador to the EU

And us?

Carney says the aim is new opportunities for young Canadians to study, work and travel, and for Canadian businesses. Any agreement would be debated and voted on in Parliament.