Canadian prime minister Mark Carney held a closed-door meeting with a group of 150 Irish business leaders in Ottawa on Monday, as he continues to pursue a strengthening of ties between his country and Europe amid the recent straining of relations between Canada and the US.
The group, which travelled to Canada over the weekend as part of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards programme, was granted a private audience with the former Bank of England governor and ex-Irish passport holder at the residence of the Irish ambassador to Canada.
It is the second time in as many months that the Canadian premier has visited the embassy.
Although the discussion was behind closed doors, Carney is understood to see Ireland as an important bridge with Europe. He is poised to visit the Republic over the coming months with Ireland set to begin its six-month presidency of the EU in July.
Among other things, he wants Europe to urgently ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) between Canada and the EU.
