Macron, Carney to visit French North Atlantic islands after Trump's map post; trip underscores 'sovereignty of nations'

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit the French territory of Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon from September 19-21, with Carney joining Macron on September 20. This visit is significant as it marks the first official trip by a Canadian prime minister to the archipelago, which is located about 20 kilometers off Canada's Atlantic coast and has a population of around 6,000 people.²³⁵⁶

The trip comes in response to a controversial map posted by US President Donald Trump, which depicted North America covered by the US flag, including several French overseas territories. The Élysée Palace emphasized that the visit aims to reaffirm the "sovereignty of nations" and to highlight shared values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law between France and Canada. Macron stated, "In a world marked by the return of power politics, geopolitical tensions and new forms of dependency, 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".¹

Additionally, Macron is expected to address the impacts of climate change on the territory, as the village of Miquelon has begun relocating inland due to rising sea levels, marking it as France's first climate-driven community relocation. The last visit by a French president to the islands was in 2014 by François Hollande, making this trip particularly noteworthy.