EU Commissioner McGrath visit to Canada
Strengthening the EU–Canada Partnership on Democracy and Justice: Commissioner McGrath’s Visit to Canada 🇪🇺🤝🇨🇦
On 20–22 October, the EU Delegation to Canada had the pleasure of welcoming Michael McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, for a visit to Montreal and Ottawa.
Four months after the EU–Canada Summit (June 2025), the visit marked an important step in advancing the commitments to cooperation in the field of justice and defending democratic institutions.
During a productive meeting with Minister of Justice Sean Fraser, both sides agreed to move forward on enhanced cooperation between Canadian authorities, Eurojust, and the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), thus delivering on the Summit’s commitment to explore closer collaboration in criminal justice.
In discussions with Minister Steven MacKinnon, MP Anita Vandenbeld, members of the House of Commons Democracy Caucus, and the Panel for Critical Election Incidents, Commissioner McGrath presented the EU initiatives to counter foreign information manipulation, reinforce media freedom, and protect election integrity such as the existing the Media Freedom Act, the Digital Service Act and the upcoming European Democracy Shield.
The visit also included valuable exchanges with Deputy Minister Francis Bilodeau on consumer protection and with Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne on trusted data flows between the EU and Canada.
These discussions reaffirm the depth and breadth of EU–Canada cooperation, paving the way for concrete follow-up actions stemming from the 2025 Summit and reflecting our shared values of democracy, justice, and the rule of law.
