During a recent exploration of FACCI (French-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) company member CYLAD's global reach, an intriguing pattern emerged on their world presence map. What caught my attention wasn't just the company's impressive international footprint, but a distinct diagonal alignment stretching from Canada across Europe (with France at its centre) to Australia. This geographic constellation, crossing hemispheres and bridging oceans, seemed to visually represent something more profound than mere business operations. It appeared to outline the contours of a potential strategic realignment, a diagonal of new possibilities in our rapidly changing global order.

This spatial arrangement, connecting three democratic, resource-rich nations with shared values but diverse geographic positioning, prompted deeper reflection: Could this diagonal represent not just CYLAD's business strategy but a blueprint for a new kind of international cooperation? As I investigated further, the potential significance of enhanced Canada-France-Australia relations began to crystallise, revealing the outlines of what might become a meaningful diplomatic evolution in our increasingly multipolar world.

Exploring Canada-France-Australia Cooperation: Potential for Deeper Alignment Amid Global Uncertainty

In an era defined by increasing economic nationalism and trade volatility, we see growing potential for enhanced cooperation between Canada, France (potentially leading European engagement), and Australia. This trilateral relationship could represent a pragmatic response to recent US trade policy shifts and growing uncertainty in traditional alliances. As Washington pursues protectionist measures and imposes new tariffs, these three democratic powers are discovering common ground in their need for economic resilience, strategic autonomy, and shared values.

Drivers Behind Potential Cooperation

The primary catalyst for potential closer alignment is US trade volatility. Under the current US administration, new tariffs and an increased willingness to use trade as leverage have prompted Canada, France, and Australia to each seek diversification strategies that reduce their overreliance on American markets. This shift comes at a time when all three nations are reassessing their strategic positions in a rapidly changing global order.

For the European Union, with France as a key voice, "open strategic autonomy" has become a guiding principle, empowering Europe to respond to economic coercion and to act independently in trade, technology, and security matters. Canada, while maintaining its deep economic ties with the US, is actively pursuing diversification through agreements like CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) with the EU. Meanwhile, Australia continues balancing its US alliance with broader international engagement, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

Security considerations form another potential driver. With uncertainties in traditional frameworks like NATO and Five Eyes, Canada and Europe may benefit from deepening defence and industrial cooperation. Australia, though committed to security arrangements like AUKUS, has shown openness to broader partnerships that complement its regional strategy.

A European Opportunity with French Leadership

For Europe as a whole, strengthened ties with both Canada and Australia would represent far more than merely a French diplomatic initiative. It would offer a transformative opportunity to redefine European strategic positioning in a world marked by multiple crises. The convergence of Russia's war in Ukraine, Middle East instability, and escalating US-China tensions has created an urgent need for European powers to forge independent pathways to security and prosperity. While France could position itself as a natural leader in such an alignment (leveraging its diplomatic weight, nuclear capabilities, and strategic vision), the benefits would extend throughout the European Union's 27 member states. 

France's diplomatic machinery and strategic ambition make it well-positioned to advance such cooperation, but success would depend on broader European buy-in. German industrial capacity, Nordic technological expertise, Mediterranean maritime access, and Eastern European security perspectives all contribute essential elements to this potential framework. By channelling these diverse European strengths through coordinated engagement with Canada and Australia, the continent could establish more resilient trade networks, diversify critical supply chains, and develop collaborative defence capabilities outside NATO's American-dominated structure. As global tensions and conflict zones multiply, this trilateral alignment presents Europe with a potential pathway toward the strategic autonomy it has long discussed but struggled to implement.

Areas of Potential Cooperation

Several interconnected domains show promise for deeper trilateral engagement. Trade integration forms a central pillar, with Canada and the EU already enjoying ties through CETA, while both are working to strengthen agreements with Australia. The EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement negotiations, though complex, offer the potential to create a more robust trading relationship less vulnerable to US protectionism. These moves could establish a network of rules-based trade relationships that provide stability amid global uncertainty.

Defence and security represent another area with potential for expanded coordination. Canada could explore deeper participation in European defence initiatives while maintaining its defence-industrial ties. Australia, while maintaining its AUKUS security partnership with the US and UK, has shown interest in broadening its security relationships with Europe and Canada. These collaborative approaches reflect a shared understanding that contemporary security challenges require diverse partnerships rather than exclusive reliance on traditional alliances.

Resource and technology collaboration provides a third domain for meaningful cooperation. Canada's critical minerals and Australia's abundant resources are increasingly vital for Europe's green transition and technological advancement. This creates natural opportunities for joint ventures in supply chain security, renewable energy development, and technology transfer. By pooling their respective strengths, the three partners could build resilience against resource disruptions and technology dependencies that have become more common in an era of strategic competition.

Perhaps most fundamentally, shared democratic values could underpin enhanced cooperation. All three entities emphasise democracy, human rights, and multilateralism in their international engagement. This values-based approach provides a normative foundation for cooperation that contrasts with authoritarian and populist trends in global politics, offering an alternative vision for international relations based on rules rather than might.

Strategic Opportunities

Expanded cooperation between these three economies could create a more balanced and resilient framework for international commerce. By diversifying their trade relationships, each partner reduces vulnerability to coercive economic measures while creating new opportunities for businesses and consumers.

Deeper defence and security cooperation, from Canada's engagement with European defence initiatives to Australia's broader security relationships, could strengthen collective security in an era of strategic competition. This does not mean abandoning existing alliances but rather complementing them with new arrangements that reflect changing realities.

Collaboration on critical resources and technologies offers a path to secure supply chains for essential materials and products. As the global economy transitions toward green energy and digital technologies, reliable access to minerals, manufacturing capacity, and research cooperation becomes increasingly important.

Having worked extensively in both European and Australian business environments, I have seen firsthand how over-reliance on single markets creates vulnerability. As a Frenchman with deep roots in European industry and a new life in Australia, I carry a vision that might seem romantic or idealistic, but I've always believed that today's dreams become tomorrow's reality. This diagonal partnership represents not just economic strategy but a reimagining of how nations can collaborate across vast distances.

Challenges and Realities

Despite its promise, potential deeper cooperation across this diagonal alliance confronts notable hurdles that cannot be overlooked. The vast geographic distance between Europe, North America, and Australia create genuine practical constraints on how deeply these economies can integrate. While today's technology offers partial solutions through digital commerce, joint energy projects, and defense coordination, we can't ignore geographic reality. Distance still impacts shipping costs, complicates real-time communication across time zones, and creates logistical challenges that neighboring countries don't face. Any diagonal partnership must acknowledge these physical limitations while developing strategies to overcome them where possible.

American market influence continues to exert substantial gravitational pull on the economic calculations of all three potential partners. The United States remains an indispensable trade partner, particularly for Canada with its deeply integrated continental economy and for Australia with its longstanding strategic alignment. This persistent economic reality suggests that any diagonal partnership must complement rather than replace existing relationships with America, a complete pivot away from US markets would be neither realistic nor economically prudent for any of the parties involved.

The internal complexity of European Union governance adds another layer of challenge to this relationship. Major new initiatives require building consensus among diverse member states with varying priorities and interests. While France's leadership position and the EU's development of more streamlined mechanisms like the Anti-Coercion Instrument may create pathways for cooperation, the inherent complexity of EU decision-making processes means that agreements require significant diplomatic investment and patience. This institutional reality demands that partnership development adopt a pragmatic, incremental approach that acknowledges the need for broad-based European support beyond France's initial diplomatic engagement.

The Path Forward: Building Resilience Through Cooperation

What makes potential trilateral cooperation particularly significant is its capacity to contribute to a more stable and diversified international order. Rather than representing a rejection of existing alliances, it reflects a pragmatic adaptation to changing circumstances, building resilience through complementary relationships.

For Canada, deepening ties with Europe while strengthening links to the Indo-Pacific via Australia offers a balanced approach to reducing economic vulnerability. For France and the broader EU, partnerships with resource-rich democracies provide support for strategic autonomy initiatives. For Australia, engagement with Europe and Canada complements its regional focus while providing additional partners amid great power competition.

The most promising path forward lies in practical cooperation that delivers tangible benefits. This might include coordinated approaches to critical minerals development, joint research initiatives in green technology, shared digital standards, and complementary security arrangements that respect existing commitments.

As global trade patterns continue to shift amid US policy changes and broader geopolitical tensions, enhanced Canada-France-Australia coordination represents not just a response to immediate challenges but a potential framework for longer-term cooperation among democratic powers committed to a rules-based international order.

While not a replacement for traditional alliances, this emerging relationship offers an important supplement; one that could help shape a more multipolar and resilient global system better equipped to navigate an era of strategic competition and economic uncertainty.

A New Chapter in Our Collective Journey

When I reflect on this potential diagonal relationship, I cannot help but see it as more than a pragmatic response to geopolitical shifts; it represents a revival of the pioneering spirit that has animated our three nations throughout history. The explorers who first crossed vast oceans to connect these distant shores carried with them not just flags and maps, but visions of possibility. Today, as Europe stands at a crossroads, this trilateral connection offers something deeply meaningful: a chance to build a world shaped by values that transcend mere power politics.

The European project itself began as a bold reimagining of what could be possible when ancient rivals chose cooperation over conflict. This Canada-France-Australia diagonal presents a similar opportunity for Europe to extend its vision beyond continental boundaries, embracing a global perspective that honours our shared heritage of exploration, innovation, and respect for human dignity. In a world increasingly defined by walls and barriers, we can instead choose to create bridges across oceans, just as our forebears did when they first ventured into the unknown. This isn't merely about trade figures and security arrangements; it's about reclaiming the courage to envision and build a world where cooperation trumps coercion, where shared prosperity replaces zero-sum competition, and where the values of liberty, equality, and human dignity serve as our navigational stars. 

The diagonal I glimpsed on that map represents not just what is, but what could be, if we have the wisdom and courage to pursue it. 🇨🇦 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 🇦🇺