Can ‘middle powers’ come together to build a new economic alliance?

Canada’s prime minister is turning towards the European Union, as United States President Donald Trump’s threats and tariffs force Ottawa to look for other allies and markets.

Mark Carney told the European Parliament that closer ties with the bloc would ensure no one could control Canada’s markets or undermine its sovereignty.

Earlier this year at the World Economic Forum, Carney urged so-called middle powers to act together to limit the effects of coercive actions by more powerful states.

So, do Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on the US offer a blueprint for how Europe should deal with the Trump administration?

And can middle powers present a united front?

Julian Karaguesian – Visiting Lecturer at McGill University and a former special adviser to the Canadian finance ministry

Harry Broadman – Former Assistant US Trade Representative

Petros Fassoulas – Secretary General of the European Movement International, a civil society network promoting closer European integration