Why Canada should join the EU
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https://archive.ph/Yhh3B#selection-965.0-965.29
As it turns out, both Europe and Canada may be in the market for upgraded alliances. Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20th brings with it the prospect of tariffs and jingoistic bluster. Nerves are jangling on both sides of the north Atlantic. Places on the fringes of the European Union are rethinking their ties to the club. Switzerland has agreed to a closer alliance, and Iceland will hold a referendum in 2027 on joining. Greenland, which left the eu in 1985 after gaining autonomy from Denmark, might consider rejoining, given Mr Trump’s obsession with it. But Canada may have the most to fret about. Mr Trump is goading his neighbour by suggesting it is about to become America’s 51st state and referring to its prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau”. Officials from Ottawa and eu capitals have been trading notes on how to handle another bout of Mr Trump. Charlemagne, who enjoys both European and Canadian heritage, has a ready solution to both places’ woes: the eu should invite Canada to become its 28th member.
The (not entirely straightforward) case for Canadeu predates Mr Trump. It is, in short, that Canada is vast and blessed with natural resources but relatively few people, while the eu is small, cramped and mineral-poor. Sure, eu rules reserve membership to “European states”. Yet despite a residual attachment to the frontier spirit, Canadians can be thought of as honorary Europeans. The country has endured three sets of colonists from the old continent, starting with a brief Viking incursion. Like Europeans, Canadians believe that markets work but must be tempered by welfare states. Their governments offer similar deals to citizens: high taxes, messy parliamentary politics (Canada may soon have a new “governor”, given Mr Trudeau’s unpopularity) and good living standards for nearly all. Both trade openly, fret about global warming and dislike guns, the death penalty and Russian aggression.
But Europe has more to gain from a tie-up with Canada than access to Quebec’s strategic maple-syrup reserve. Europeans can be sold on enlargement by the prospect of their union tripling its surface area while adding only 40m Canadians to a population of 440m. The eu would go from having a population density not far from China’s to that of America—assuming enough Greeks or Belgians volunteer to live in rather chilly conditions. Europe is short of energy, too; Canada has lots of oil, gas and hydro power. A rich new joiner would help the eu’s finances.
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If the EU were solely an economic common market (as it was in past) and not a supranational political entity it might be worth exploring. As it stands however, I don’t think the Canadian federalist model would integrate well into the EU system. Essentially, Canada has become too far removed from any common cultural identity with Europe. As for economics, we cannot even agree on free trade or the reciprocity of labour or professional skills and qualifications between provinces.
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Maybe enter Eurovision first, and see how that goes.
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Israel is in Eurovision, won a few times, although technically we are in asia. But Asia kicks us out of everything. So for all sports and culture we r European.
