US will see sense on EU-Canada deal, Irish finance minister says

DUBLIN — Closer ties between the EU and Canada won't mean a worse relationship between the bloc and the U.S., according to Irish Finance Minister Simon Harris. In an interview the day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pitched making Ottawa an "associate member" of the EU, Harris said that closer ties with Canada "is not about having a less close relationship with anybody." "Ultimately the U.S. administration will understand that because it's the truth,” Harris, also Ireland's deputy finance minister, added. Von der Leyen's suggestion, as part of her Wednesday "State of the Union" speech, has not gone down well in Washington, D.C., however. U.S.