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Should Canada join the EU?

Should Canada seek to join the EU?

  • Total voters
    20

Allan

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It's obvious America is at the very least an unreliable trading partner. They are also imo an economic and territorial threat.

Should we seek to join the EU? European countries would salivate at the opportunity to access our natural resources.

We are culturally and politically more closely aligned with Europe than the US. We share a Westminster Parliamentary system and Head of State with the UK (which is not an EU member). We have a strong historical connection with France.

I'm mostly interested in how Canadians and Europeans feel about this.

The article below discusses the possibility in more detail.

 
As your article says...

"Don't hold your breath."
 
Until the United States un****s itself, Canada needs to look elsewhere for economic partnerships. And much like the UK and Brexit, it should take a great deal before Canada forgives us.
 
I don't think you CAN join the EU.

But you can make trade deals with the bloc as a whole.
 
Allan said:
It would require a charter change. Not impossible.
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Not impossible, but unlikely, especially given that even if you do, Victor Orban is going to block it.
 
Even if you can't get into the EU, they still allow trade if you sign on as a 3rd party.
 
He is an agent of chaos and destruction.
 
Allan said:
It's obvious America is at the very least an unreliable trading partner. They are also imo an economic and territorial threat.

Should we seek to join the EU?
Click to expand...
As a non-Canadian, I'm more in the "No" camp than the "Yes" camp.

I think it will be better for Canada to increase trade and other ties with Europe. I don't think that requires full membership in the EU.
 
Visbek said:
As a non-Canadian, I'm more in the "No" camp than the "Yes" camp.

I think it will be better for Canada to increase trade and other ties with Europe. I don't think that requires full membership in the EU.
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I'm biased. I want to travel to France without the customs hassle.
 
Allan said:
I'm biased. I want to travel to France without the customs hassle.
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Going into France is a breeze compared to the US and I'm a citizen.

Pretty much the same with the UK.
 
PoS said:
Canadians think theyre a part of Europe. News at 10.
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Plus, it wouldn't happen because there's already ten countries who are actually pure European awaiting their turn.

And as the article says,
"Germans are only joining voters in Italy, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland, Poland, Norway, the Netherlands and France, who have granted Trump-style politicians public support or key power positions in government over the past few years.

"Canada can no longer take its close ties with Europe for granted," said Lavrelashvili.

All to say, Canadians and Europe may have some shared values — but in this new political era, Europe and Trump may share more values still."
 

I said no, mainly because we don't need to.

Militarily we are already aligned through NATO. There's nobody really gunning for us, which will improve with every inch of distance we put between us and America.

Economically, well, we're the hot girl at the dance, thanks to our vast surplus of valuable natural resources and political stability, not to mention our global reputation in general. We don't need to be part of a conglomerate in order to be massively attractive as a trade partner.

So, i don't really see an upside, and on the downside there's a lot of cost involved in joining a group like this, not to mention concerns around sovereignty. Leaving it is also an expensive proposition, if I understood how Brexit went.

Also, while I am strongly for diversifying our trade strategies, giving the sudden willingness on the part of our "friends" to try and **** us at every time they put that orange douchebag in power, the best case scenario is an American return to sanity, class, and decency, and the resumption of a trade relationship that is geographically ideal and has served both countries extremely well for a long time. It may be in our interest to wall off the bridge for now, but I'm not sure we should burn it entirely.
 
More expensive than what's happening now?

The bridge is gone. We're not the ones who blew it up.
 
OlNate said:
It may be in our interest to wall off the bridge for now, but I'm not sure we should burn it entirely.
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How many times do you need to get mugged by the same people in the same place using the same methods?
 
Allan said:
More expensive than what's happening now?
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More expensive than what's necessary.

What's the economic benefit of joining the EU, if we are already militarily allied and we're such an amazing stand alone trade partner? Maybe I'm missing some of the upside. What else should I be including in my decision making?
Allan said:
The bridge is gone. We're not the ones who blew it up.
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I know...but you can't deny that when Canada / US works, it works great. I'm not saying it will happen, but it would be foolish of us not to take advantage of an American return to sanity. Our only real problem with America has been Trump. Provided he respects their Constituion, this is the last time he can **** with us directly. I know we're super pissed off right now, with plenty of very valid reason, but mad is the enemy of smart. I'm just saying we ought to keep our options open.
 
Luce said:
How many times do you need to get mugged by the same people in the same place using the same methods?
Click to expand...

It's only ever been Trump - please see post #24.
 
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