Canada-EU summit draft swaps ‘associate member’ for ‘ever closer association’

Germany and France objected to the label, two sources said, and it has no legal basis in the EU treaties. One source called it a distraction that threatened to overshadow the summit.

Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is sending Quebec's chief diplomat, Pascal Paradis, to the summit instead of going himself. Prime Minister Mark Carney had offered him a place at the event without a speech, which he refused.

“The government I have the honour to lead has neither a seat at the negotiating table nor the chance to speak.”

— Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon

EU officials say Ottawa and Brussels are working toward a digital trade agreement covering e-signatures, e-contracts, paperless trade and secure cross-border data flows.