Canada should strengthen itself internally by learning from the EU

Lyubov Zhyznomirska, Saint Mary’s University

lyubov.zhyznomirska@smu.ca 

April 14, 2025

Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, has thrown countries, big and small, into economic uncertainty and turmoil with his rollercoaster politics of tariffs in retaliation against – what now feels like – whatever he is upset about on a given day. Since Trump’s election, Canada’s governing elites have become concerned about the US administration’s openness to undermining Canada’s economic and political sovereignty. Considering the size of the US army and overall military-industrial complex, Canada would find itself in a weak position should the Trump administration grow even more hostile to its northern neighbour. Therefore, calls to think about diversification of Canada’s trade and security relations away from the US are more than timely. Frederic Mérand in Policy Options has asked us to consider whether it is worth exploring and pursuing full EU membership for Canada. Having this conversation is a great way to figure out what Canada in the world means to all of us and what we as a political community seek to reaffirm. This may include liberal values, democratic principles of governance, commitment to human rights, multilateralism, diversity, and economic well-being – and this list can be expanded to new ideas and new ways of shaping our identity through international relations.

A call to consider Canada’s application to join the European integration process is a brilliant move at this historical juncture when the threat to Canada’s political and economic sovereignty feels real. It allows us to reflect on Canada’s national identity and values, as well as to imagine its future collective identity and political, economic and foreign policy relations. In challenging times, rallying around the flag is a useful exercise to initiate a country-wide conversation about what makes us Canadians and what country we want to live in. Similar to other contributors (MacRae; Hübner; Pavone; Finbow) to this forum, I see a list of positive achievements Canada could acquire if we oriented ourselves towards EU membership: more open markets to trade in goods and services among the provinces and not only with the EU countries, better environmental regulations, better social protections for workers, greater mobility for students, equalization of our social citizenship between the provinces, higher consumer protection standards, introduction of norms for circular economy, removal of visa requirements and unrestricted movement within the Schengen area (excluding permanent residency, which is nationally governed in the EU). However, these improvements can also happen through policy transfer or bureaucratic policy learning, when Canadians support political parties advocating for such changes to our laws. The Canadian government may not need a “stick” from the EU – or in the form of the EU, meaning that the federal government would use “pressure from Brussels” to justify its push for reforms. The Canadian democratic process can deliver a policy consensus through its own mechanisms, such as frequent elections.

While I support the debate about Canada-EU relations, I am of a position that Canada should not apply for EU membership. Andrea Wagner (this forum) has convincingly pointed out that “a hypothetical EU membership for Canada would be perceived as a slap in the face to many European nations—most notably Ukraine—that have been patiently and diligently waiting for accession. Granting membership to a non-European country like Canada ahead of them would undermine the legitimacy and fairness of the EU enlargement process.” I fully concur with this view. It is a matter of fact that, geographically, Canada is not located in Europe.

Endorsing a cultural argument for membership, like Frederic Mérand does, could also backfire considering Canada’s European colonial past and its continuous colonization practices towards Indigenous nations. Despite the desire to highlight the Europeanness of this non-European country, advancing an argument about our cultural belonging to Europe would complicate the Canadian state’s attempt to reconcile with the Indigenous nations for past and current wrongs and would dent current attempts to create space and to enact a new inclusive narrative of a postcolonial national self that has emerged in the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) and Canada’s attempts to implement the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action (2015). Reactivating a European narrative of our cultural past and present could undermine the reconciliation discourse and dent a fragile trust that has built between the Canadian state and Indigenous populations. In addition, Frederic Mérand mentions that EU membership application may cause a split with those in Canada who cherish links with the UK. Proposing a course of action that is divisive to begin with is undesirable in times when polarization of societies is easy to ignite and fuel through social media.

Be it in migration, peace, security, policing, or justice spheres, there is a space for policy learning and exchange between Canada and the EU that would bridge the relationship across the Atlantic and enhance our common security community. Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly and Oliver Schmidtke show that there are many ways to get closer to the EU within the existing frameworks short of EU membership. Canada will definitely benefit from diversifying its trade relations without compromising its political foundations of nation-building and sovereignty in political, economic and social relations. The Canadian government should put an emphasis on intensifying and diversifying business-to-business and human-to-human contacts with the EU to reap the benefits that come from economic, cultural, artistic, and educational links and exchanges. The Canadian government could enhance travel-and-work and study-and-work programs with EU countries in order to enhance access to a European experience and connections between citizens. Internally, it could facilitate opening up labour mobility in various sectors by creating federal certification and apprenticeship programs to increase the inter-provincial mobility of its labour force.

The question, however, remains about the motivation for pursuing EU membership: once Trump is out of office, will the Canadian state still see a necessity and remain motivated to solidify its relationship with the EU? Are we turning away only in the short term from Trump’s America, or are we seeking new geopolitical and geostrategic alliances to support ourselves and build a new security community for the long-term in a world order that seems to undergo a period of intense restructuring? My argument is that turning inwards and strengthening our internal institutions and commitments to diversity, constitutional democracy, multilateralism, and economic equality could be more appealing to the population and to all political parties in Canada. This would mean uniting the society around a new social contract, rather than seeking the membership in a community that requires relinquishing parts of our sovereignty.