French President Emmanuel Macron has backed a proposal for Canada to become the European Union’s first associate member as he and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney deepen ties in space, defense, energy and business. Meeting in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the French territory just off Newfoundland, the leaders also agreed to pursue shared space infrastructure and broader economic cooperation. Macron’s endorsement comes days after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed the new EU relationship and Carney embraced it as part of Canada’s push to reduce dependence on the United States. Trump’s tariffs, economic demands and repeated talk of making Canada the 51st state have accelerated Ottawa’s turn toward Europe.