France’s new ambassador in Ottawa says her country is open to working closer with Canada on defence procurement, despite its push for Europe to develop a fully autonomous arms industry.
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Europe → say → industry
“In the defence sector and in other equally strategic sectors, France advocates for a European preference in procurement,” French Ambassador Hélène Farnaud-Defromont said in a French-language interview.
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Defromont → advocate → interview
“The ideal for us would be to achieve 100 per cent European content but, once again, we’re being realistic.
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we → achieve → content
We know we’re all going to need a bit of time to reach that goal.”
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we → know → goal
Farnaud-Defromont said France can help Canada build up its defence base by sharing best practices.
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Canada → say → practices
“France is the only member state of the European Union today to have retained a comprehensive defence industrial and technological base,” she said.
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she → retain → base
“We have some really interesting ideas to put forward and develop together.”
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We → have → ideas
In February, Canada became the first non-European partner in an EU loan program for joint defence projects called Security Action for Europe, or SAFE.
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Canada → become → Europe
Only one contract for Canada has emerged from the program so far.
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contract → emerge → program
The program allows EU countries to access low-interest loans to buy military gear and weapons.
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countries → allow → gear
It’s part of an initiative called ReArm Europe aimed at weaning the continent off its reliance on American weapons.
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It → ’ → weapons
“The fact that Canada has joined SAFE, I think that’s a very good thing,” she said.
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she → join → SAFE
“We now need to see things come to fruition.
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things → need → fruition
We need this partnership to actually take shape.”
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partnership → need → shape
Much of Canada’s defence industrial base is made up of branches of American corporations.
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Much → make → corporations
Farnaud-Defromont would not speculate on how that continental integration might affect Canada’s participation in SAFE.
uncertain
integration → speculate → SAFE
The ambassador said 65 per cent of the components in each piece of defence equipment France procures are of European origin – a threshold the EU is trying to apply to SAFE projects.
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EU → say → projects
Farnaud-Defromont said the people of France are “extremely concerned and worried” about the war in Ukraine and its implications for freedom across Europe.
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people → say → Europe
Canada’s strong support for Ukraine is deeply appreciated across the continent, she said.
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she → appreciate → continent
“We are in fact facing an all-out war on European soil following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Farnaud-Defromont said.
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Defromont → face → Ukraine
She said France is still trying to work toward peace through multilateralism, despite dozens of armed conflicts that – like those in the Middle East – have implications far beyond one region.
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that → say → region
“The international order has been profoundly disrupted,” said Farnaud-Defromont, a career diplomat for 32 years.
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Defromont → disrupt → years
“The environment in which I work today as a French diplomat bears no resemblance to the one I knew.”
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I → work → one
While France is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it has always maintained some autonomy.
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it → found → autonomy
France pulled out of NATO’s command structure for most of the Cold War and advocated for nuclear energy autonomy to avoid relying on others for electricity.
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France → pull → electricity
The country has for years advocated a vision of European collective security that runs at odds with American leadership.
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that → advocate → leadership
France ramped up its push for continental autonomy after U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands for control of Greenland.
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France → ramp → Greenland
“We have long been committed to developing, within the European Union and within NATO, a European pillar, and within the European Union a community that is also strategic,” Farnaud-Defromont said.
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Defromont → commit → community
“We are by no means pleased with the situation within NATO, which is, to say the least, very confused.”
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which → say → least
Kerry Buck, a former Canadian ambassador to NATO, has warned that Ottawa would be less safe if the alliance turned its focus more to the defence of Europe.
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alliance → warn → Europe
“Canada had long resisted the creation of a European pillar within NATO for fear of being sidelined, and because we didn’t want the EU exercising ‘strategic autonomy’ in decision-making, or otherwise competing with NATO,” she wrote in a June, 2025 commentary in Policy Magazine.
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she → resist → Magazine
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