François-Philippe Champagne tells the BBC the Canada–EU proposal is “about the substance, to build an alliance of the future”
François-Philippe ChampagneCanadian Minister of Finance and National Revenue, interviewed by the BBC
In an interview with the BBC’s economics editor Faisal Islam, Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the proposed Canada–EU alliance is “all about the substance, to build an alliance of the future,” adding that “the world has changed” and “America has changed.” He said Canada and the United Kingdom “share the same values,” asked “Why don't we team up?” and said “we are independent and sovereign, but we are stronger together.” The BBC also quotes him calling the moment “a moment of great opportunities” to strengthen the existing Canada–EU relationship.
“This is all about the substance, to build an alliance of the future. The world has changed. America has changed. So we need to change. We need to look at partnership in a different way, and the great thing is that when you look at Canada, and I would say the United Kingdom, we share the same values. We are very aligned in our vision of the world. Why don't we team up? We are independent and sovereign, but we are stronger together.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Canada become an associate member of the European Union?
In her State of the European Union address on 16 September 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she would like to work with Prime Minister Mark Carney on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the European Union, as part of moving beyond the existing CETA trade agreement to what she called an Alliance for the Future. Carney, present as an invited guest, told the European Parliament the following day that Canada welcomes the ambition, while attributing the associate-member phrase to von der Leyen rather than adopting it, and promised debates and a vote in the Canadian Parliament on the final structure. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre set red lines against Canadians paying taxes to Brussels, following European laws they did not vote on, or adopting European immigration policy. United States President Donald Trump said that if he judged the arrangement a hostile act he would impose heavy tariffs on Europe or curtail trade. No agreement has been signed, and associate membership is not a status defined in the European Union's treaties.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
The BBC's report of its interview with Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, by economics editor Faisal Islam. The article does not give the date of the interview. It says the detail of the EU's offer to negotiate associate membership for Canada is yet to be formalised.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had proposed “opening the door” to associate EU membership for Canada, and Prime Minister Mark Carney had addressed the European Union in Strasbourg shortly afterwards. The BBC does not give the date of the interview.
After the quotation
The BBC reports that the detail of the EU’s offer to negotiate associate membership for Canada is yet to be formalised, and that Champagne also discussed the Canada–US trade war in the same interview.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to whether Canada should become an associate member of the European Union, Champagne expresses support for the Canada–EU “alliance of the future” of which the associate-membership proposal is part, and urges the United Kingdom to join it. He does not use the associate-member label, and the BBC says the terms are not yet formalised, so his support is for the alliance rather than for a defined membership status; Prime Minister Carney’s statement of welcome is labelled the same way for the same reason. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, which loses because he states no condition or reservation about the alliance.
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“That is why we very much support this agenda of rapprochement within this alliance of the future that you have named, as an associate state, as the President of the Commission said, as a full member of a European political community to which you did us the friendship of coming a few months ago, in Yerevan. (Translated from French. Original: C'est pourquoi nous soutenons ô combien cet agenda de rapprochement dans cette alliance du futur que vous avez nommée en tant qu'État associé, comme l'a dit la présidente de la Commission, comme membre à part entière d'une communauté politique européenne à laquelle vous nous avez fait l'amitié de venir il y a quelques mois, à Erevan.)”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "François-Philippe Champagne tells the BBC the Canada–EU proposal is “about the substance, to build an alliance of the future”". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/1352-in-an-interview-with-the-bbc-s-economics