Heather MacRae, York University
March 27, 2025
A few years ago, most Canadians would not have given even a passing thought to the question of whether Canada should, or could join the European Union. With around 80% of Canadian trade happening with the US, why would we consider a complex trade agreement or partnership with the EU?
However, every now and then, when the US-Canada relationship is on shaky ground, we lament that we ought to diversify our trade and suddenly, we “rediscover” Europe as a viable Plan B. In the late 1960s and early 1970s then Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau argued for closer ties to Europe as a response to the realities of “sleeping with the elephant”; in 2006 Timothy Garton Ash teasingly joked that Canada would make the “perfect” new EU member state – except the country isn’t in Europe. Given the current political climate, and as some (including Mérand and Pavone) have already noted, now may be the time to consider the EU as more than a backup plan.
Others in this series have deliberated over whether and under what circumstances Canada may or may not become a member of the EU. Many of these take economics, trade, security and defense into consideration. Rather than revisiting this part of the debate, I suggest that we ought to also take soft politics into account. What about labour laws, employment policy, environmental policy, consumer rights, gender equality and social equity? The EU has been at the forefront of many of these areas and depending on the nature of a future (potential) agreement, Canada could adopt European Union standards without too much difficulty, thus protecting and in places improving our social and welfare system and bringing tangible benefits to Canadians.
For example, the blender you bought last year - the one that stopped working after just after the manufacturer’s warranty ran out? That would be covered under EU consumer protection laws. All products sold in the EU have a minimum two year no-cost warranty. This is a legal guarantee rather that a simple warranty and, as a result, goes beyond current Canadian standards. The oven that broke, and your repair company has argued that “it isn’t worth fixing” so you should just buy a new one? EU legislation addresses that too. Recent legislation confirms the right to repair which includes the obligation for manufacturers to offer easy access to spare parts at a reasonable cost and within a reasonable timeframe. Other measures are designed to incentivise repair over replacement, encouraging a transition to a circular economy and environmentally sound choices that do not pass the cost and burden to consumers. These types of rules go a long way to meeting environmental goals, reducing waste, and increasing social equity.
Most of us have some European friend or family member who boasts about the extensive annual holidays that they enjoy. A partnership with the EU could extend those, and other employment rights to Canadian workers. European workers have a right, via EU legislation to a minimum of four weeks of paid vacation every year. All parents are guaranteed at least four months of parental leave, with a minimum of two paid, and while their children are young, parents have a right to ask for a part-time position to juggle work and family responsibilities. In many areas, existing Canadian legislation already meets or exceed the EU’s minimum standards. But, in others, there would be a need to adjust policies and workplaces to better balance work and family, a key commitment of the EU’s employment and equity strategies. While the member states still have a great deal of leeway to adjust social standards to suit their own circumstances, common guidelines help to ensure a level playing field, shift the narrative to better include worker’s rights at all levels and ensure that corporations cannot use employment standards to reduce costs.
Perhaps most importantly, as our neighbours to the South systematically dismantle programs to support women’s health and equality, undo decades of progress to support the rights of LGBTQ+ folks and undermine the value of DEI initiatives, it becomes blatantly clear that Canada’s social values align far more with our European partners than with the current U.S. government. The EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, alongside the Pillar of Social Rights, corresponds to Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Importantly, the EU’s commitment to social political and economic rights is an active commitment, with new measures frequently introduced and debated to safeguard the rights and ensure that steps are taken to realize these rights. Pay transparency (rather than just equal pay), requirements for a balance of men and women on corporate boards (rather than just an informal commitment to “do better”) would require a commitment from Canada to take steps to realize the values that we claim are important, and which we claim set us apart from the United States.
Worker’s rights, social values, and equality for all people is central to what I believe it means to be Canadian. One way to secure and strengthen those rights would be through closer partnership with the European Union. A partnership that goes beyond trade and defense to include the social values that unite Canada and Europeans could send important political signal and help to reaffirm what it means to be Canadian. In the process, we may also improve the working and living conditions of millions of Canadians. Europe ought to be more than Canada’s Plan B.
Kommentare