Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to work together on space infrastructure, business and economic growth, as the two leaders met on Sunday in the French department of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.
Speaking to reporters, Carney said he and Macron would task space agencies and defense ministries with developing and sharing common infrastructure, including space launch systems and ground reception facilities.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office said the two countries plan to work together on infrastructure that can receive data from satellites.
Carney said he and Macron will also task the Atlantic Canada-Saint-Pierre and Miquelon Joint Regional Cooperation Commission to expand its work on economic growth, energy transition and climate resilience.
He said that the chambers of commerce in the two countries are also working to combine their efforts to bring their business communities closer together.
The French and Canadian Chambers of Commerce are expected to sign an agreement in the coming weeks.
The two men shook hands and embraced as Carney got off the plane, while several airport workers gathered nearby to take photos and videos of the leaders.
The leaders stopped for a working lunch before attending a wreath-laying ceremony at a memorial to the Free French Volunteers.
In December 1941, Free French forces peacefully liberated the archipelago from the control of the Vichy regime, which had aided Nazi Germany during World War II.
Wendy Sandmann, who was at the event, carried a sign welcoming Carney. Sandmann, who is originally from Newfoundland, said she moved to the island nearly 40 years ago to be with her partner.
Sandmann said it was great for both countries to have the two leaders in Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
“I wanted to show my support for Mr. Carney regarding the problems Canadians are having against Americans right now,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
Sabrina Chatel, a geopolitics teacher at St. Pierre, said she had talked to her students about the leaders’ visit before Sunday.
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Chatel said that the meeting was historic given what is happening in the world, adding that it could open doors for the future.
In his remarks on Sunday, Macron said he supports Canada’s future participation in the European Union. He said Carney’s visit to Saint Pierre and Miquelon represents a step in their growing relationship.
Macron also announced the creation of a new polar research forum between Canada and France, adding that the first meeting will be held in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.
Macron was scheduled to be in the islands, which are located about 20 kilometers off the southern coast of Newfoundland, for three days this weekend, before traveling to New York City to attend the UN General Assembly meetings.
Carney, who will head to New York on Monday, chose to join Macron in what both countries said was a visit to show unity and respect.
Macron’s office said Carney is the first Canadian prime minister to make an official visit to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Macron is the first French president to visit the country in more than a decade.
“In a world marked by a return to power politics, geopolitical tensions and new dependencies, France and Canada share a common ambition: to work together – and with all countries that share these values – to strengthen their capacity to make decisions and act independently,” a spokesman for Macron’s office said in an email.
Strengthening ties with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce represents “a concrete step in our commitment to transform a historic relationship into real business opportunities,” Alain Di Crescenzo, president and CEO of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in a statement.
“Our economies offer real complementarities, and by building on them, we can develop common value chains in strategic sectors for companies in both countries,” Di Crescenzo said. “The trust that truly unites our two countries is a quality that few business partnerships in the world can claim – a strength we can build on without preventing us from exploring other markets at the same time.”
Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Candice Ling said in a statement that the organization has already begun deepening its relationships with the French business community, including leading a trade mission of Canadian business leaders to Paris last June.
“We have several of these engagements planned,” she said.
The meeting between Carney and Macron comes amid growing tensions with the United States for both Canada and Europe, and as Canada and the European Union work toward a new, broader alliance.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that she wants Canada to become the first “associate member” of the European Union.
In her State of the Union address to the European Parliament, she said the two sides must urgently “reimagine” their partnership and move beyond the free trade agreement to take the relationship to the “highest possible level.”
Carney addressed parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday, saying he welcomed von der Leyen’s ambitions for the Canadian partnership.
Carney said that although the name and nature of the new arrangement have not yet been determined, the partnership will be put up for discussion and vote in Parliament. He said he was interested in expanding a number of relationships, including providing opportunities for young people and an integrated market for financial services.
Canada and Europe already have a free trade agreement — although it has not been ratified by all EU members — and last year Canada became the only non-European member of the EU’s new defense procurement program.
Carney indicated his desire to get closer to Europe immediately after assuming the position of Prime Minister in March 2025, when he traveled to meet Macron in Paris, and King Charles in London, within days of being sworn in.
He said on Sunday that the partnership between Canada and France is at the heart of its growing relationship with Europe.
