EU chief von der Leyen proposes ‘associate member’ status for Canada

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has raised the prospect of Canada becoming the 27-nation European Union’s first “associate member”, a striking overture as both seek to pivot away from a hostile United States under President Donald Trump. Von der Leyen’s statement on Wednesday came after Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this week that Canada was seeking a “unique alliance” with the EU, but not membership. Von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that, as democracies are facing a “fracture in the international rules-based system”, Brussels and Ottawa needed to pull closer together.