Carney heads to European Parliament as Conservatives demand an earlier return to Canada’s House of Commons
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Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to address the European Parliament in Strasbourg next month as a domestic political dispute grows over Conservative demands to recall Canada’s House of Commons early to debate the escalating trade conflict with the United States and the proposed deal Ottawa rejected. So far, Carney’s government has not announced an early return of Parliament.
Carney will attend European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address on September 16 as a guest of honour before addressing members of the European Parliament on September 17. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said the visit would provide an opportunity to deepen EU-Canada relations and strengthen ties between the two sides.
The trip comes at a sensitive moment for Canadian trade policy following the collapse of negotiations with Washington and the escalation of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. Europe has become central to Carney’s strategy to reduce Canada’s economic dependence on the United States, with his government aiming to double non-U.S. exports over the next decade.
The timing, however, has drawn criticism from the Conservative opposition. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called on Carney to reconvene Parliament "without delay," arguing that MPs should debate the details of the rejected U.S. trade proposal, the cost of retaliatory measures to Canadian households and the government’s plan to protect jobs in steel, aluminum, lumber and auto manufacturing.
Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman also questioned why Carney would address European lawmakers before Canada’s own Parliament returns, particularly while the government describes the trade confrontation with the United States as a major threat to Canada’s economy and sovereignty.
The House of Commons is currently scheduled to resume on September 21, four days after Carney’s European Parliament address. The government has not announced a change to that timetable or agreed to the Conservatives’ request for an earlier sitting.
The dispute highlights two parallel challenges for the Carney government. Internationally, Ottawa is seeking deeper economic and security partnerships, particularly in Europe, to reduce Canada’s exposure to U.S. decisions. At home, the opposition is pressing for greater parliamentary scrutiny and transparency over the choices the government rejected and the potential cost of an extended trade conflict.
Carney’s Strasbourg address will give him a prominent international platform to present Canada’s evolving economic strategy. The political debate in Ottawa, however, raises a different question: in a trade confrontation of this scale, should international outreach be accompanied by an earlier debate in Canada’s own Parliament?
