Canada, France pledge to work together on space infrastructure, economy

Canada, France pledge to work together on space infrastructure, economy

SAINT-PIERRE — Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron have pledged to work together in the areas of space infrastructure, business and economic growth.

Speaking to reporters in the French territory of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon on Sunday, Carney said he and Macron will task their space agencies and defence ministries to develop and share common infrastructure, including space launch systems and ground-based reception facilities.

He said they will also task the regional joint cooperation commission between Atlantic Canada and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon to expand its work in economic growth, energy transition and climate resilience.

Carney said the countries' chambers of commerce are also joining forces to bring their business communities closer together.

The French and Canadian chambers of commerce are expected to sign an agreement in the coming weeks.

The prime minister is in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon Sunday to meet with Macron. The pair shook hands and hugged as Carney stepped off the plane, with several airport workers huddled nearby to take photos and videos of the leaders.

The leaders took park in a working lunch before attending a wreath-laying ceremony at a memorial for the volunteers of Free France.

In December 1941, Free French forces peacefully liberated the archipelago from the control of the Vichy regime, which aided Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Macron was scheduled to be on the islands, which sit about 20 kilometres off the south coast of Newfoundland, for three days over this weekend, before travelling to New York City for the UN General Assembly.

Carney, who will fly to New York on Monday, opted to join Macron for what both countries said is a visit to demonstrate both unity and respect.

Macron's office said Carney is the first Canadian prime minister to have an official visit to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. Macron is the first French president to visit in more than a decade.

"In a world characterized by a return to power politics, geopolitical tensions and new dependencies, France and Canada share a common ambition: to work together — and with all countries that share these values — to strengthen their capacity to make decisions and act independently," a spokesperson for Macron's office said in an email.

Alain Di Crescenzo, French Chamber of Commerce and Industry President and CEO, said in a statement that strengthening ties with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce marks a "concrete step in our commitment to turning a historic relationship into real business opportunities."