SunshineCanada in the European Union? Poll suggests broad openness to the idea
A further 58 per cent indicated it was a proposal worth exploring further
UnspecificGravityWhat is kinda wild to me is that I have read about a dozen articles like this and not one of them actually indicates what benefit Canada would get from joining the EU, apart from ‘we all know that America sucks’, but being in the EU doesn’t actually solve that either.
Some things I can think of:
It provides a better chance to mutually recognize education and professional experience. It helps with both our export markets to each other. It motivates us to improve our tax system and other archaic regulations. We have an easier time at border checkpoints and can more easily immigrate for work across continents. We can move to a Euro-pegged currency or the Euro itself if we so choose and meet the European fiscal standards.
acargitzWe can improve Canada in any way we want. We don’t need the EU to do that. There is nothing that stops us from recognizing EU credentials but ourselves.
I don’t see how pegging the CAD to the Euro would be useful.
I agree on negotiating freedom of movement, potentially joining Schengen. Same for negotiating recognition of Canadian credentials in Europe although that’s less of a problem, usually the other direction is the problem.
There are some ups and downsides to the member perks. As for the exchange rate, we could have a stable bloc rate rather than one that is more or less correlated to the price of oil or US events.
We can accept credentials but the bigger benefit is if the Bloc can accept Canadian ones, which is best achieve through agreement.
I think that joining the Schengen Area is inclusive of people’s idea of “open to discussion of Canada joining Europe”. Do we want or need to join the EU tomorrow? In my opinion not really but its a good time to foster a closer relationship and gradually remove barriers between Canada and the bloc.