Prime Minister Mark Carney will make an early visit to Paris ahead of the Group of Seven leaders summit next month to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to people familiar with the matter.
The visit is another sign of the close relationship between the two leaders. After Carney was sworn into office last spring, his first trip was to France to meet with Macron. The two know each other in part from Carney's time governing the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020.
Carney is planning to meet with Macron on June 12, said people with knowledge of the visit who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Canadian leader is then expected to leave for a visit to Ireland before returning to France for the G7 summit in Evian, in the French Alps.
Macron's office said that the pre-G7 agenda has yet to be finalized. Carney's office declined to comment.
During his time as leader, Carney has prioritized building a deeper relationship between Canada and Europe, particularly on defense and energy. The two leaders talk to each other on a regular basis, one of the people said.
Canada is the only non-European country to join the EU's military procurement program known as SAFE, and on Wednesday Carney announced his government is entering talks to buy GlobalEye military surveillance planes built by Sweden's Saab AB — a contract that was also pursued by American firms.
This week also saw Germany reach a deal for a supply of liquefied natural gas off of Canada's west coast, a move that comes as Europe looks for reliable sources of the fuel after the Iran war cut off supplies from the Middle East.
While the French privately lament that Canada isn't a major buyer of French military equipment, Macron views Carney as a close ally in the defense of multilateralism and a balanced dialogue with developing countries, according to one of the people. Macron has publicly expressed his gratitude after Canada followed his steps and recognized Palestine as an independent state last year.
Carney for his part has sought closer trade ties with Europe in an effort to diversify Canada's exports, which overwhelmingly rely on the U.S. market. The Canadian leader has said Canada's close integration with the U.S. has become a weakness as the Trump administration imposes tariffs on its trading partners.
