{"id":15480,"date":"2025-02-08T14:59:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T14:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/08\/european-trip-gives-pm-a-chance-to-tout-canadas-ai-efforts-strengthen-ties-experts-national\/"},"modified":"2025-02-08T14:59:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T14:59:39","slug":"european-trip-gives-pm-a-chance-to-tout-canadas-ai-efforts-strengthen-ties-experts-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/08\/european-trip-gives-pm-a-chance-to-tout-canadas-ai-efforts-strengthen-ties-experts-national\/","title":{"rendered":"European trip gives PM a chance to tout Canada\u2019s AI efforts, strengthen ties: experts – National"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau\u2019s five-day visit to Europe offers Canada an opportunity to shore up its relationship with the European Union and show Canadian leadership in artificial intelligence<\/a> regulation, experts say.<\/p>\n

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Trudeau will spend most of the trip in Paris for the AI Action Summit, the third major global meeting focused on the rapidly expanding field.\u00a0<\/strong>He will then make a stop in Brussels for a meeting of Canadian and European Union leaders.<\/p>\n

The visit comes after U.S. President Donald Trump paused his threatened tariffs on Canadian imports for almost a month \u2014 and as Trump signals Europe could be his next target.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanada gained this short reprieve and the EU has been threatened with the American tariffs as well, so it makes sense for Canada and the EU to co-ordinate responses,\u201d said Carleton University\u2019s Achim Hurrelmann, who studies EU politics.<\/p>\n

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A week ago, Trump signed an order to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, with a lower 10 per cent tariff on Canadian energy. But after two phone calls with Trudeau \u2014 during which the prime minister laid out his government\u2019s plans to address Trump\u2019s stated concerns about border security and drug trafficking \u2014 Trump put the tariffs on hold until March 4.<\/p>\n

Trump said the tariffs would be on pause to see if a \u201cfinal Economic deal\u201d could be reached with Canada.<\/p>\n

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As they discuss ways to boost Canada-EU trade, Hurrelmann said, European representatives may ask Trudeau to explain how he managed to get the extension.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe whole tariff saga has sort of reinvigorated Canada\u2019s perennial debate about diversifying trade, and Europe has always been one region where there\u2019s the perception \u2026 trade could increase,\u201d he said, adding Europe may be particularly interested in Canada\u2019s strategic raw materials.<\/p>\n

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Canada and the EU have a friendly relationship, Hurrelmann said, and consider themselves well-aligned on global issues through two core agreements \u2014 the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and a strategic partnership agreement.<\/p>\n

Foreign Affairs Minister M\u00e9lanie Joly said recently that Canada\u2019s trade deal with the European Union is \u201cvery important and is part of our vision for diversifying our markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hurrelmann said Europe and Canada have been slow to strengthen ties, \u201cespecially economic ties.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Canadian economy is so focused on the United States, and for the European economy, Canada is a relatively small, faraway market,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But now, he said, the relationship may have the push it needs to move beyond the status quo.<\/p>\n

The short jaunt to Brussels, Hurrelmann said, is likely about \u201csignalling to each other that we will co-ordinate, and signalling the same thing to the outside world and also to the Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artificial intelligence is also likely to come up in the talks with EU representatives in Brussels, he said.<\/p>\n

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