Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Europe this week seeking what he calls a “unique alliance” with the European Union.

His government wants to double Canada’s trade outside the United States over the next decade.

It sounds like the beginning of a historic separation from the United States, but look at the numbers and a different picture emerges.

Canada may be trying to depend less on the United States.

But it isn’t leaving.

In 2025, 71.7% of Canadian merchandise exports still went to the United States.

And the simple fact is Europe cannot simply replace a neighbor that buys more than seven out of every 10 goods Canada sells abroad.

That makes Carney’s strategy more interesting than a simple break with Washington.

And despite the increasingly hostile rhetoric between the two countries, Carney hasn’t closed the door on Washington.

Earlier this month, he said Canada remains ready for a trade agreement with the United States that benefits both countries.

He emphasized that such an agreement would need stability and credibility.

That last part may tell us something.

Canada doesn’t necessarily need to replace America.

It needs alternatives when America becomes unpredictable.

But there is another wrinkle.

Canada’s move toward Europe does not necessarily mean it is moving outside the broader Western alliance.

Canada is becoming more involved in the European defense cooperation.

It recently joined a major European Union initiative pursuing greater cooperation on security.

So Canada can become less economically dependent on Washington while remaining closely aligned with all the same countries and institutions that have worked alongside the United States for generations.

That is not independence in the traditional sense.

And it may leave Canada in a stronger position regardless of what happens next in American politics.

So Canada may not be building a future without America after all.

It looks to be building enough alternatives to protect itself while it waits to see what kind of America comes next.

Americans will soon have their own say about that, including in November’s midterm elections.

But the larger issue goes beyond Donald Trump, one election, or either political party.

Countries make investments that last decades.

And allies need some confidence that agreements with the United States will survive changes in political leadership.

Republicans and Democrats will continue disagreeing.

But stability and predictability do not have to belong to either party.

Canada may emerge from this period with more trading partners and less vulnerability to Washington.

But there is something the United States should consider too.

For generations, one of America’s greatest strengths has been that other countries wanted to trade, invest, and work with us.

The goal should not be to make those countries dependent on America because they have nowhere else to go.

It should be to make the United States the country they still choose to work with even when they have other options.