Carney first Canadian PM in Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney became the first Canadian prime minister to visit Saint Pierre and Miquelon as French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed him to the French North Atlantic territory on September 20.

Macron met Carney at the airport on the archipelago, which lies just off the Canadian coast. The leaders were expected to confirm Canada's close relations with France and the European Union in a joint statement after a working lunch.

The meeting came as both countries had strained relations with the United States. Macron wrote on X that “our friendship is a strength” and said the two countries affirmed their sovereignty, freedom to decide and willingness to build peace and prosperity.

Macron's three-day visit to Saint Pierre and Miquelon is the first by a French president in more than a decade. The territory is a three-island archipelago of fewer than 6,000 people about 25 kilometres off Newfoundland and is France's only remaining possession in North America.

Macron has argued that US President Donald Trump's second mandate strengthens his case that Europe should become more sovereign, especially on security. Carney has welcomed a proposal for Canada to become the European Union's first “associate member.”

Trump's repeated remarks about making Canada the 51st US state have been rejected by Ottawa. Macron reaffirmed on arrival that Saint Pierre and Miquelon is French, saying “It's obvious” and dismissing “strange ideas” on the subject.

The French president's office said the joint visit would underline shared values of freedom, democracy, rule of law and respect for national sovereignty. Carney's office said Canada and France shared history, values and a commitment to a more secure and prosperous world.

The archipelago also faces economic and social problems common to remote territories. In what French officials describe as France's first climate-driven community relocation, the village of Miquelon has started moving inland because of the threat from rising sea levels.