As Americans play a ‘power game,’ draft document shows Canada-EU response

MONTREAL — Canada and the European Union are proposing concrete steps to strengthen ties in digital security, defence and critical resources, along with a potential fleet of Canadian-made water bombers, according to a draft joint statement ahead of a summit later this month. The Canadian Press reviewed the document.

The draft says Ottawa and Brussels aim to let Canadian companies bid on cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure contracts generally reserved for European companies, in another effort to reduce dependence on the United States. The renewed partnership, dubbed an “alliance for the future,” would also launch plans for Canada to join Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system and finalize a deal to facilitate European investment in Canadian critical minerals. It also heralds the joint purchase of 50 Canadian-made De Havilland water bombers, which the draft says will be ready to fight wildfires in 2030.

More broadly, the statement reflects Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ongoing effort to strengthen ties with continental Europe in areas from trade and education to the military. Canada and the EU are seeking to guard against a less reliable United States and champion the rules-based international order.

The challenge is to avoid a White House backlash while continuing to bolster transatlantic ties beyond the next election cycle, said Patrick Leblond, an associate professor of public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa. “The Americans, they’re playing a power game. For them, if Canada and other countries band together in a way to reduce their dependence on the U.S., the current U.S. administration — and potentially others in the future — will try to prevent that from happening,” he said. “Divide and conquer, that’s the power approach.”

The draft, dated Sept. 22, pledges to “strengthen digital sovereignty” and align emerging regulatory frameworks by giving Canada “associated country status” under the European Commission’s proposed Cloud and AI Development Act. That would mean Canada is treated as a member country when bidding on contracts for critical digital infrastructure.

“Whether it’s Google, Amazon, Microsoft, we’re very dependent on these platforms. And as we know, it could be weaponized against our economy, against our governments,” Leblond said. “The message here is, let’s work together. We trust each other.”

The provision follows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal last month that Canada become the European Union’s first associate member. European contractors are already inclined to work with Canadian firms rather than American ones where possible because of U.S. export controls on sales to third-country markets, said Wendy Gilmour, vice-chair of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute. However, persuading Canadian technology firms oriented toward the U.S. market to look to Europe could prove difficult.

“There’s been a slow take-up by Canadian business because Canadian business has just been so used to working with the American market,” Gilmour said. “It’s easy. It’s English-speaking. It’s just a simpler prospect than to work in a European regulatory environment with 27 different countries.”

The effort to create more distance from Canada’s next-door neighbour extends to space. The draft starts talks on Canadian participation in the EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system, a move with military implications. Canadian Forces currently rely on the United States’ Global Positioning System for an encrypted U.S. military signal designed to resist jamming and spoofing. Galileo has its own encrypted signal, but a formal agreement is required for any non-EU country to access it.

The joint statement also says the two sides have reached a deal to make it easier for the European Investment Bank to invest in Canada’s critical resources, “in particular, critical minerals,” and for those resources to be exported to Europe. Gilmour said the measure responds to Canada’s need for a wider range of buyers and sources of capital for its natural resources. Specifically, it aims to reduce dependence on the U.S. market and Chinese supply chains and spur more mining and processing at home. “We rely too heavily on offshore processing,” she said, noting China’s near-stranglehold on critical mineral refining.

The joint purchase of water bombers from De Havilland is a win for the Calgary-based plane maker. It remains unclear, however, whether the 50 aircraft would be in addition to the 38 already ordered by six EU countries and three Canadian provinces since 2024. A De Havilland spokesperson said by email that the company was “not engaged in these discussions.”

The summit statement sets out other commitments, from new talks on participation in Erasmus, the EU’s popular student-exchange program, to the aspirational pledge: “We will fight to protect and promote human rights everywhere, for everyone.” While citing “unprecedented geopolitical challenges,” the document doubles down on co-operation among middle powers. “Our partnership may become a model for other countries seeking friendship in a challenging world,” it says.

The Canada-EU summit is scheduled for Oct. 29 and 30 in Montreal. Carney will host von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and other EU leaders. The Canadian Press first published this report on Oct. 15, 2026. Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press.