this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2025

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162

Canada won’t become the 51st US state – but could it join the EU? (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 2 days ago by HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works to c/canada@lemmy.ca

31 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Joachim Streit has never stepped foot in Canada. But that hasn’t stopped the German politician from launching a tenacious, one-man campaign that he readily describes as “aspirational”: to have the North American country join the EU.

“We have to strengthen the European Union,” said Streit, who last year was elected as a member of the European parliament. “And I think Canada – as its prime minister says – is the most European country outside of Europe.”

While he admitted that the possibility of Canada as a full member of the EU “may be aspirational for now”, he wondered if it was an idea whose time had come.

“Canada would be a strong member,” he said. “If Canada would be a member of the EU, it would rank 4th in terms of GDP. It’s part of Nato. And 58% of (working-age) Canadians have college degrees.”

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[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 5 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

There first has to be a train line to Canada. This is an unavoidable prerequisite. Then we'll see.

[–] ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

A train line joining mainland EU with the UK, Iceland, Greenland and Canada?

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 1 points 15 hours ago

Greenland is either connected by train because it's part of Denmark, or doesn't need to be because it's a quasi independent territory.

As for Iceland, nobody knows.

[–] Daryl@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

The Easter coast of Canada is closer to Britain than Britain is to the furthest east point of the EU.

[–] NIB@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

First, Canada should just join Eurovision. This should be mandatory IMO, for all european members, candidates and future prospects.

But realzies, Canada is just too far away. They can get a trade deal and join in for certain policies(environmental, etc) but ultimately, unions mostly make sense for neighbours. I dont think either the EU or Canada will benefit that much from a union, at least for now. Maybe in a few decades, after both sides integrate better and have common policies, things will be different. However, if globalization collapses and the US keeps going the way it is going, i can see this accelerating things.

[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 43 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If it can bring more holidays and better working conditions, then I'm all in.

4 weeks minimum paid vacations would be hella nice.

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I'm pretty sure it's a requirement to have proportional representation, so I'd jump at the opportunity if only as an excuse to abolish FPTP.

[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Unfortunately no, that isn't the case. Some countries do, some don't. It's not a requirement.

[–] mad_lentil@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Couldn't hurt our case though, right?

[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 days ago

Yeah. Couldn't hurt.

[–] Ulrich_the_Old@lemmy.ca 24 points 2 days ago

I would be happy to be part of the EU. Also the fact that it would upset trump is a bonus.

[–] anachronist@midwest.social 10 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Sorry we're not getting along Canada but we have an illegal alien you're going to have to take back. He's addicted to a lot of drugs, and is a deadbeat dad many times over. His favorite hobby is accusing people of pedophillia.

[–] dom@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago

You broke it, you bought it

[–] xyro@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago

Keep your trash in your side of the border

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 24 points 2 days ago

We don't need to join the EU in order to build closer ties with them and to adopt some of their more progressive regulatory frameworks.

[+] theacharnian@lemmy.ca -7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Closer integration and cooperation, yes absolutely. Membership, no.

We don't need to be anyone's 51st state and we don't need to be anyone's 28th member state.

[–] Nalivai@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That's not really how EU works

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What part of what I wrote are you referring to?

[–] Nalivai@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Your comment wasn't complex enough to merit this question. I was referring to the only part of your comment where it was relevant to. Which is almost all of it.

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

So you're saying that the EU doesn't work in a way that allows closer cooperation and integration without membership. That's factually wrong. This model works for Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.

Got any more snark?

[–] Nalivai@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

Oh, I have a lot of that, but I'm realising you need everything to be spelled out very thoroughly and subtlety is lost on you, so here we go:
The EU isn't an authoritarian institution that you are afraid of, and as Britain's example showed, the closer you are to being a full member, the better the benefits, and the more you're trying to play a big boy, the more you're in the shit.
Canada doesn't have the proper ratio of citizens to stored Nazi gold to properly pull off Switzerland thing anyway.
But sure, closer cooperation is better than no cooperation

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 1 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

Britain was already an integrated member that decided to exit. That's very different from opposing new deep integration.

We might not have a great Nazi gold to citizens ratio but our resources to citizens ratio is more than Iceland and Norway combined many many times over.

I never said that EU is an authoritarian institution, you made that up.

My argument is for keeping our existing sovereignty, such as for example being able to keep our own currency, and our more welcoming immigration policies. Canada doesn't need the Euro, doesn't need the ECB, we don't need the Dublin treaty and we don't need the Stability and Growth Pact.

Anything the EU does right (eg the GDPR) we can adopt and adapt for ourselves already. There is absolutely nothing holding us back from becoming better.

The EU is a complicated institution, parts of it are structurally neoliberal, in the same way that parts of Canadian institutions are structurally colonialist. So we really don't need the craziness of European politics internal dysfunction. We have enough of that of our own.

Keep the snark coming.

[+] teppa@piefed.ca -15 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

No thanks, the Euro area has enough problems itself. Hence their desire to rush in a CBDC, and to limit free speech.

This report outlines the economic fantasy land of Europe the best.

https://icecap.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022.02-IceCap-Global-Outlook.pdf

"To demonstrate our skepticism towards the Europeans’ ability to achieve escape
velocity and forever leave behind their zombie banking system, unmarketable
debt and complete dependence on suppressing price discovery - consider the
following policy reactions orchestrated by the European Central Bank (ECB) since
the 2008-09 crisis:
• European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF)
• European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM)
• European Stability Mechanism (ESM)
• Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT)
• Long Term Refinancing Operation (LTRO)
• Long Term Refinancing Operation II (LTRO)
• Long Term Refinancing Operation III (LTRO)
• Tripartite Committee consisting of ECB, IMF, EC agreement (TROIKA)
• Forced austerity and bailouts of Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain
• Activation of FED USD Swap Lines
• Asset Purchase Program (APP)
• Corporate sector purchase programme (CSPP)
• Public sector purchase programme (PSPP)
• Asset-backed securities purchase programme (ABSPP)
• Covered Bond Purchase Programme (CBPP)
• Covered Bond Purchase Programme II (CBPP)
• Covered Bond Purchase Programme III (CBPP)
• Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP)
• Quantitative Easing (QE)
• Zero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP)
• Negative Interest Rate Policy (NIRP)
Recal"