Afternoon front page: Canada and EU launch ‘Alliance for the Future’; Father of family shot on Toronto’s Bridle Path confirms horrific details; A painfully inconclusive election result for Israel; and more

Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa met with Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney in Montreal to finalize a new partnership amid a world dominated by the United States and China. The two parties aimed to unveil deals ranging from critical minerals to artificial intelligence and establish a broader alliance open to other democracies.

Carney emphasized the benefits of this closer cooperation, stating it would bring affordability, competition, choice, and easier access, as well as opportunity, sovereignty, and the ability to withstand global shocks together. They have already shared a free trade agreement and have been working to strengthen their ties since the return of President Donald Trump to the White House, which disrupted relations with traditional allies.

Von der Leyen clarified that Canada could not become a full-fledged EU member due to its geographical location, but the bloc wanted to bring it as close as possible. The new relationship would involve aligning policies such as climate and artificial intelligence, joining some EU programs, and creating a stable governance framework.

A key focus of the two-day summit was critical minerals, essential for green technologies like batteries and wind turbines. Canada primarily sources these minerals from China, but the EU seeks to reduce dependence on Chinese imports. Canada requires substantial infrastructure investments to boost its mining industry. An agreement allowing the European Investment Bank to support Canadian critical mineral projects is expected to be unveiled.

Both parties plan to collaborate on AI, a field where they are lagging behind the US and China. Europe intends to open its supercomputing infrastructure to Canadian researchers, industry, and start-ups. Canada recently invested C$1.6 billion (US$1.1 billion) in the AI firm Cohere, which partnered with Germany's Aleph Alpha.

The summit also aims to advance Canada's participation in EU initiatives like the Erasmus program and the Galileo satellite program. Additionally, the creation of a larger "Alliance for the Future," open to trusted partners like Japan, South Korea, or Australia, is expected. This alliance aims to form a common space for economic prosperity and better coordinate trade policies to avoid mutual harm.