Macron and Carney meet in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon to deepen Canada-France ties

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held talks Sunday in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a remote North Atlantic archipelago of about 5,800 people off the coast of Newfoundland, to deepen economic and security ties between the two countries.

Macron, who arrived Saturday in the French territory, said the meeting would "strengthen our bilateral economic ties and defense relationship." The talks reflect Canada's broader pivot toward Europe to reduce dependence on the United States, driven by Trump's tariffs, demands for economic concessions, and repeated talk of making Canada the 51st state.

The leaders plan to discuss deepening partnership in aerospace, energy, critical minerals, quantum computing, satellites, and supercomputing, according to Carney's office. Macron framed the meeting as part of efforts to help France secure oil and gas supplies disrupted by the ongoing war with Iran, which has raised fears of higher prices for fuel and other essentials.

"Canada is a country with significant resources of critical minerals and rare earths. It is also a major oil and natural gas producer. What we want to do is conclude agreements to secure more liquefied natural gas that can be shipped to Europe's Atlantic coast," Macron said.

Carney has embraced the prospect of Canada becoming the European Union's first associate member, a move he said would ensure no country could control Canada's markets or undermine its sovereignty. Macron, asked Sunday about Trump's announced deal on Greenland—which expands U.S. military presence while keeping the island under Danish control—said "Danish sovereignty is being respected, international law is being respected. Anything that helps ease tensions is a good thing."