Pressure Systems edition
Why The EU Wants Canada
September 19, 2026
What this edition shows
Prime Minister Mark Carney is advancing a major realignment toward European economic and military structures, pitching Canada's critical minerals and energy reserves to the European Parliament while pursuing associate membership in the EU and the JEF military partnership. Concurrently, domestic leaks and summits reveal an aggressive state push for fossil fuel expansion, natural gas pipelines, and AI data centers in provinces like Alberta, drawing fierce resistance from First Nations youth and climate analysts over stranded assets and unmet targets.
Reporting and analysis behind this edition 15 sources
-
How Mark Carney’s investment summit maple-washed a giant corporate giveaway
Martin Lukacs and Desmond Cole break down what happened at the summit and on the streets The post How Mark Carney’s investment summit maple-washed a giant corporate giveaway appeared first on The Breach.
-
Why Canada's critical minerals motherlode is at the heart of EU 'alliance' talks
Canada’s wealth in the minerals, metals and materials key to the global energy transition featured heavily in the pitchbook at the first Canada Investment Summit and in Mark Carney’s speech to the EU. They are going to be key to any special relationship agreed by Ottawa and Brussels.
-
What might Canada’s EU ‘associate membership’ look like, and is it even a possibility?
In a speech to the European Parliament, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney declared that “Europe and Canada are stronger together”. He also backed an offer made by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, one day earlier for Canada to become the first “associate member” of th…
-
First Nations youth continue their fight over Carney's major projects agenda, summit
As Canadian politicians were pitching their major projects plans to foreign investors at a first-of-its-kind summit in Toronto, First Nations youth in Ottawa were making a pitch to Canadians on why they should join the fight to stop them.
-
Carney’s approach to critical minerals won’t deliver strategic autonomy – just more de-risking
The prime minister's “major projects” push merely continues a long practice of de-risking Canada’s mining industry. The vast public resources mobilized to this end are not a net gain for the Canadian economy.
-
Canada’s Carney welcomes EU’s associated membership proposal
In address to European parliament, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney listed areas where he wants to boost cooperation.
-
Carney's fossil fuel rush will cost us for a long time
-
Read the leaked plan to boost data centres, oil and gas in Alberta
The document proposes dramatic changes to natural gas pipelines in the province as part of a plan to boost oil and gas production and support new AI data centres. Here’s what you need to know
-
Climate reckoning awaits as Canada falls further behind targets
Ahead of Parliament's return for its fall session next week, a new analysis has added urgency to debates over Canada's climate strategy — warning that the country is now more than 20 years behind meeting its 2030 climate targets.
-
Climate change is exposing nuclear power’s reliability problem
Unanticipated shutdowns at nuclear power plants will increase in frequency as extreme weather events driven by climate change become more common.
-
Alberta's referendum is exposing Canada's vulnerability to disinformation attacks
Both the Alberta and federal governments seem much more interested in how we’re going to build out data centres than they are in figuring out how to keep Canadians safe from some of the more nefarious uses and applications of AI.
-
'Associate member?' What we do and don't know about proposed new ties between the EU and Canada
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she wants Canada to become the first "associate member" of the European Union, inspiring both curiosity and confusion on two continents.
-
Can ‘middle powers’ come together to build a new economic alliance?
Canada's prime minister outlines plans for stronger ties with the EU.
-
Why does Canada want to join the Europe-led JEF military partnership?
This is the latest step in Canada's bid to move closer to Europe amid bitter trade war with the US.
-
What would a Canada-EU energy alliance mean?
Canada has the potential to bolster Europe's energy security through a new alliance, but experts say it doesn't necessarily mean tankers crossing the Atlantic Ocean laden with oil or liquefied natural gas.