DUBLIN (AP) \u2014 Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Mark Carney continued his efforts to pivot away from the United States and allign with Europe, meeting with the leader of Ireland on Saturday ahead of the upcoming G7 summit and saying middle power countries shouldn\u2019t compete for favor with America. <\/p>\n
Carney said that Canada and the European Union have a combined population that is more than twice that of the United States, with a similarly sized economy and a collective defense budget that is twice that of China\u2019s.<\/p>\n
He said smaller nations can multiply their strength by partnering with like-minded allies. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn a world of great power rivalry, middle powers have a choice \u2014 to compete for favor or to combine to create a third path with impact,\u201d Carney said at Trinity College in Dublin. <\/p>\n
He made similar comments at the World Economic Forum<\/a> in Davos, Switzerland, which became a symbol of middle-power resistance in January, when he declared the global rules-based order over<\/a> and condemned coercion by great powers on smaller countries. <\/p>\n Carney visited Ireland\u2019s Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin earlier on Saturday and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday ahead of the Group of Seven summit of industrialized democracies<\/a> that begins on Monday in France. <\/p>\n U.S. President Donald Trump leaves for the G7 summit right after he hosts UFC fights at the White House on Sunday for his 80th birthday.<\/p>\n Carney described Canada and Europe as a \u201dforce for good \u2014 because we safeguard the values of human rights, dignity, and pluralism that our people hold dear.\u201d<\/p>\n The prime minister said together, the EU and Canada are one of the largest economic, cultural, technological, financial, and military blocs in the world. <\/p>\n \u201cThe new world order will be built starting with Europe,\u201d Carney said at an earlier joint news conference with Martin. \u201cCanada is the most European of non-European countries. We are transforming our cooperation with Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n In February, Canada became the first non-European member of the SAFE mechanism, the European Union\u2019s defense procurement initiative. Carney, on this ninth trip to Europe since become prime minister 15 months ago, noted Canada 56 partnerships in the critical minerals sector across more than 10 countries, primarily in Europe.<\/p>\n