Carney Pledges Closer EU Ties as Canadians Warm to Associate Membership

Miriam Levin-Gold likes Mark Carney's idea of Canadians being able to live and work in the European Union under proposed closer ties with the trade bloc. Speaking to the BBC in Toronto, the commuter said it would be great for young people to explore different parts of the world, work in different places and have different experiences.

Canadians woke on Thursday morning to news of the prime minister's speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, in which he welcomed the EU's ambition for Canada to become its first associate member and urged closer co-operation on defence and energy. Carney told MEPs that Canada and Europe were stronger together in the face of geopolitical rupture, adding that the two should deepen their people-to-people ties and allow their youth to live, work and study where they want on either side of the Atlantic. He also suggested Canada could join Erasmus+, the EU's multi-billion scholarship programme.

Before Canadians start packing their bags, however, associate member status does not currently exist within the EU and could take years to implement, given that all 27 member states would have to approve such an arrangement. Even so, those the BBC spoke to were excited by the prospect of working and studying in the EU as news of the speech spread. Alex Nash, from Montreal, said closer ties would clear away the obstacles of work visas and permits, and that it would be nice for travel to be easier and more convenient. Canadian social media lit up with the topic. One member of a Facebook group, A Canadian Outlook, said they would love the opportunity for their grandchildren to study at European universities at better rates. Another woman said it would make life much easier given the home she already owns in France. Snow birds, one commenter predicted, are going to love it, a reference to Canadians who head south for the winter.

Such sentiments hint at dissatisfaction in Canada over bilateral tensions with the United States. Growing up in Canada, David Jardine thought of the US as not merely a neighbour but an epicentre of culture and cool. He remembered wanting to visit New York all the time, he told the BBC after finishing an overnight shift not far from Toronto's CN Tower. But he has grown far more sceptical in the light of President Donald Trump's trade war with Canada and his rhetoric about annexation. Jardine said it made more sense to associate closely with Europe, and that it was a place he would rather be associating with given the way things are.

Maggie Stainton, who manages the local pub C'est What in Toronto's St Lawrence Market district, became emotional when she spoke about Canada's frayed ties with its southern neighbour. It is too volatile with the United States, she said, adding that she feels there is some stability in Europe. For decades America has been a cultural centre of gravity difficult to avoid, with many Canadian actors working in Hollywood and Canadian radio stations playing US music. Stainton said Canadians were forced to feel more American simply by the influences around them, though deep down she leans towards feeling more European in her ideas and ideals. Similar views were echoed by many others the BBC spoke to in the centre of Canada's biggest city.

Carney, who formerly led the Canadian and British central banks, was elected on a promise to take a tough stance against Trump and broaden Canada's economic horizons. Up to 72 per cent of Canadian exports go to the United States, and ongoing trade tensions have spurred Ottawa to seek closer ties elsewhere. The EU would seem in many ways a natural fit, with more than half of Canada's population reporting European origins in the last census, taken in 2021. A recent Abacus Data survey conducted before the speech found that 80 per cent of Canadians believe the country should deepen strategic co-operation with the EU, and more than half feel closer to Europe than to America.

Details of Carney's proposed plans remain scarce, however, and a pair of opposition Conservative MPs have called on him to elaborate. Adam Chambers, MP for Simcoe North in Ontario, told the BBC on the eve of the speech that it could be a concrete, meaningful proposal, or it could be just words and vibes. He pointed to the existing Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada, noting that it still awaits ratification by several EU nations.

While deepening ties with Europe would be welcomed by many Canadians, there remains a sense that the relationship with the United States, however strained, must not be allowed to crumble. Ahmed Khalil, who has lived in Ontario for 40 years, said America had always been the neighbour. Building bridges with Europe made sense, he added, bringing in more money and more culture, drawing Europeans over and probably solving a lot of problems. But Canada should not forget its southern neighbour. Both, he said, are equally valuable and equally valid.