Canada correspondent Rob Gillies’ dominant coverage of Canada’s new alliance with the EU started before Prime Minister Mark Carney had taken off for Strasbourg. Through a very senior source, Gillies reported that Carney was exploring a much closer relationship with the European Union that could stop just short of full membership — an early indication of where Canada was heading as Trump’s tariffs and threats accelerated the country’s effort to reduce dependence on the United States.
Gillies then accompanied Carney to Strasbourg, France and the UK for his first meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and was in the EU Parliament when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her State of the Union address, with Carney sitting in the front row, to propose making Canada the EU’s first associate member.
AP was ready with a newsalert and quick story that captured the context and significance of the move, followed swiftly by video dispatches — including from the steps of Carney’s plane — showing how AP was there at this crucial moment. Gillies’ expertise combined with work by Brussels’ reporter Lorne Cook, senior producer Sylvain Plazy and videojournalist Mark Carlson delivered authoritative coverage of a consequential shift in Canada’s relationships with both Europe and the United States, which connected immediately and deeply with our audience for several days.
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