A survey of 4,000 people conducted by Spark Advocacy’s polling arm in March found that one in four respondents thought it would be a good idea for Canada to formally join the economic and political bloc of European nations.

A further 58 per cent indicated it was a proposal worth exploring further, while the remainder felt it was a bad idea.

Spark’s chief strategy officer Bruce Anderson says the survey suggests Canadians are increasingly open to finding ways to buck Canada’s reliance on the United States after more than a year of tariffs under U.S. President Donald Trump’s second administration.

France’s foreign minister last month openly floated the idea of Canada joining the EU, while Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he’s looking to deepen trade and security ties with the continent but not as a formal member of the bloc.

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[–] ninthant@lemmy.ca 36 points 5 days ago (4 children)

I’m with the 58% who think it’s worth exploring. But we need a lot of time and much deeper ties before we’d jump into eu membership.

I’d love to see us adopt EU standards, to reduce our reliance on the US standards which are increasingly prone to corruption and anti-science manipulations. If a car can be sold in Germany or a drug can be sold in France let’s immediately allow those here too. If a person gets a medical degree in Spain, they can work at a hospital here with just some minimal localization.

It may also be worth exploring pegging the CAD to the euro, again for stability and commerce reasons. This also has significant risks and downsides but it also could insulate us from American chaos somewhat.

There are likely areas in defence where we could cooperate with the EU, with the health of nato being questionable at best.

After all that, let’s talk.

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 20 points 5 days ago

But we need a lot of time and much deeper ties before we’d jump into eu membership.

Yeah, it's very easy to be "open" to the idea. I'm interested myself, but I know next to nothing about what the effects of that sort of integration would be.

[–] Reannlegge@lemmy.ca 17 points 5 days ago

I like how the EU is moving away from the big tech firms in the US, I am all for that. If I had the money I would get something to replace my iPad and something to replace my iPhone last year. I paid my last iCloud bill a few months ago as I have moved to self hosting almost everything. Discord is the only other closed source tool I use, have not had the heart to close my facebook account “because I may need to talk to a friend” type deal but I have not logged into it anymore than 2 maybe 3 times since March or April of 2025.

[–] IndridCold@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 days ago

I agree. Canada has been making some solid strategic trade deals without the EU. I don't know if joining them right now would make us stronger in the long run. I can see some benefits, but it also limits what we can do.

That said, I wouldn't mind being joined with the Euro. Canada saw benefits from keeping the CAD lower for trades with the US. Now that the US is becoming Gilead and pissing off the world, do we need to keep CAD lower? Does using the Euro help trade deals? I don't know the answer to those questions.

I think right now Canada should hold position, continue build bridges that bypass the USA, and focus on becoming the EUs BFF. The USAs downfall is happening much quicker then I think people expected, and it's only going to get worse. I think we'll look better if we stand our ground on our own feet right now.

Canada and Greenland has sort of become the darlings of the world for giving Trump the finger. We can use that to our advantage.

[–] einfach_orangensaft@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago

It may also be worth exploring pegging

archer_phrasing.gif

[–] expatriado@lemmy.world 17 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

not sure if the EU wants a big ass border with the US

[–] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

https://media1.tenor.com/m/iPfCAJEhmJMAAAAC/bugs-bunny-canada.gif

[–] Knoxvomica@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago

I like how in this we keep Alaska

[–] CanadaPlus@futurology.today 5 points 5 days ago

Or that we'd love how much it has to be firmed up to join the Schengen. I mean, it's probably better done sooner than later, but if there's a huge jump in prices and everyone's trips become impossible that's not how it's going to be received.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 days ago

Surprised the numbers were so low, when we had a big push for it a decade ago I imagine the numbers were the same.

[–] CanadaPlus@futurology.today 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It's starting to look like some kind of CPTPP-EU mashup with Canada in the center is where things are going, instead.

[–] FreeBooteR69@lemmy.ca 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Yup, we aren't joining the EU, we don't need to. A large trading block of middle powers, CETA/CPTPP and eventually MERCOSUR and a few other countries is brewing. Not to mention reformation of the WTO, a "plan B" due to the dispute mechanism being sabotaged by the US for it's own unilateral protectionist purpose. Let's just hope the US gets bogged down in Iran and is too preoccupied to invade Canada before the mid-terms turns the US Congress and Senate against their president.

[–] CanadaPlus@futurology.today 5 points 5 days ago

Also a fun fact about CPTPP: it includes the UK.

I don't really know why, they're the only non-Pacific nation, but there you go, a way back from Brexit.

[–] 5PACEBAR@piefed.ca 10 points 5 days ago

[–] KindnessIsPunk@lemmy.ca 9 points 5 days ago

Yes, please.

[–] ProudCanadianCitizen@lemmy.ca 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

After all, Canada started as a British colony. The European roots go deep.

Interestingly, if this was the early 1900's, Canada could have been caught up in the entire Brexit thing. As went Britain, so went Canada, at the time.

[–] alsimoneau@lemmy.ca 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Technically, it started as a French colony.

[–] ProudCanadianCitizen@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

The BNA act that formed the political entity called Canada was an Act of the British Parliament. It was so up until Trudeau Sr. brought the constitution back to Canada. Parts of what is now called Canada was founded originally by the French, other parts by the British, some allegedly by the Vikings, another part by the Knights Templar and even the Spaniards (if you follow such things as the Curse of Oak Island), but mostly it was the indigenous peoples that first populated Canada.

But nevertheless France and Spain are also part of the EU.

[–] CanIFishHere@lemmy.ca 6 points 5 days ago

New polling suggests majority of Canadians don't know what joining the European Union entails.

[–] FederatedFreedom1981@lemmy.ca 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This sort of pivot makes sense. We can collaborate more closely on all kinds of things, given that we have more similarities with the EU than the US, historically and philosophically speaking.

[–] VeryInterestingTable@jlai.lu 5 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Government-wise I agree. Including companies that are funded fully or partially by the government.

But as soon as you look at the private sector in Canada it's "USA USA!" chanting in unison. Canada is mostly socialist whilst having obsene and depraved capitalistic private companies.

I'm smelling a strong pushback from them if Canada get's closer to EU.

[–] OilyArena@lemmy.ml 5 points 5 days ago

In what way is Canada socialist? Do you know what that word means?

[–] FederatedFreedom1981@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 days ago

They're going to push no matter what, why should we be frightened? If we stay under their umbrella, sooner or later US lightning will strike, and we'll be electrocuted.

[–] OrteilGenou@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Well these broads need to think twice

[–] ProudCanadianCitizen@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago

Canada using the Euro as its international trading currency? I wonder if the Americans will take it 'at par'?

[–] tangonov@lemmy.ca -1 points 5 days ago (2 children)

We're not in Europe. We're not European. We won't even get to use most of the benefits as individuals in Europe would get to use.

[–] khannie@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Not being belligerent but what benefits would you not get to use?

The main benefits to me are economic (free trade), social (free movement) and political (negotiate as a bloc).

[–] festus@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Economic - Because of shipping costs & distance it would be harder to buy / sell with European based firms, so there'd be less benefits to the economic single market.

Social - Because of distance and time zones it would be more costly to move, both in terms of $ (can't drive to Europe), and in terms of social costs due to huge timezone shift from friends and family.

Political - Some benefits, but also Europe's needs / wants aren't as aligned with ours. For example, due to geography it's in our best interests to maintain a good trading relationship with the Americans (which isn't ideal, but it's the reality). The Europeans aren't as incentivized to ensure we have the best trade agreement if it hurts their interests - remember that any member can block some of these treaties.

It's probably best for us to get as close as we can so long as it doesn't interfere with us negotiating our own trade ties with other nations (particularly the US). That's really the one item where it could be a net-negative.

[–] tangonov@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Take free movement off the table unless you can afford to fly. Can't even afford to fly inside our own country let alone to our allies. Also you can have your free trade but you have to ship it too.

[–] khannie@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The free movement is not about vacations, it's about movement of labour. All of a sudden the number of jobs open to you, especially in areas of speciality, is increased tenfold.

[–] tangonov@lemmy.ca 4 points 5 days ago

I honestly would move my entire family to where we would be legal citizens in the EU, far away from the southern border if I thought that would be realistic.

Though, you have me on the jobs bit. I work remotely, maybe I could move into a more productive / open source friendly market

[–] ProudCanadianCitizen@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Our entire first 100 years as a nation was European based. Please recall, up until the last few decades of our insistence, we were essentially a British colony.

[–] tangonov@lemmy.ca 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I guess we didn't see the benefit in that, huh?

[–] ProudCanadianCitizen@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 days ago

Actually, the benefit of it was that our 'constitution' was governed by the British in the BNA act, and it formed the basis of English-French (Quebec) debate, up until Trudeau Sr. brought the constitution back to Canada. THAT era made for some lively some political intrigue. Until then, Quebec could only seek 'constitutional' change through an Act of the British Parliament.