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Or sign-in if you have an account.A picture taken on November 24, 2021 shows national flags of European Union's member countries at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. (Photo by Julien WARNAND / POOL / AFP) “I think Canada should think about joining the European Union, we just have so much more in common with Europe than the U.S.” The first time I heard that at a dinner party of seemingly intelligent, articulate and professional individuals here in B.C., I had assumed it was the start of some sort of sophisticated geopolitical joke. I waited and waited for the punch line before then coming to the crashing realization that the deliverer of that line was serious!Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. 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Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorAs a Brit, admittedly one who campaigned for Brexit, I thought this was obviously such a ludicrously ridiculous position for anyone in Canada to take, that this individual had momentarily lost leave of their senses or perhaps had one too many pre-dinner sherries!This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againYet in the months that followed, I heard the same argument repeatedly: at roundtables, informal dinners, and public events. As a former British MP, I was often asked for my view. The idea has also surfaced in media commentary and political discussion often enough that YouGov polled Canadians on it in April 2025. The result: 42 per cent supported the idea, while 33 per cent opposed it.Now, I fully appreciate that the behaviour and somewhat erratic trade policy of the current resident of the White House, has Canadians spooked. There is good reason for that and that explains why the government is absolutely right to seek to diversify Canada’s trade policy. However, that desire must be rooted in realism.Before turning to why European Union membership is not only unrealistic but also undesirable from a Canadian perspective, it is worth applying a greater sense of realism to Europe’s current political landscape. Too often, the chattering classes in Canada — much as in the UK — cling to a romanticized image of Europe: educated, multilingual citizens sipping lattes in gallery cafés, calmly agreeing that the world simply needs more international rules and moderation. This imagined contrast is then set against a caricature of the United States as uncouth, ill-educated, and embodied by a MAGA-hatted voter whose solution to every problem involves bigotry, guns, or conspiracy-driven thinking.You can certainly find both of those things, but it is important to also recognize what is happening politically in Europe. The same populist and radical forces that exist in the United States are finding their voice in Europe too.In much of Europe, hard-right, nationalist and populist parties have been finding considerable appeal. Whether in Germany by way of the AFD, Vox in Spain, National Rally in France, the Freedom Party in Austria or countless others. Yes, their progress hasn’t been linear but add in the rise of some rather unpleasant far-left parties in many countries too and street protests and the rise of conspiracy theories, Europe is not the antidote to American populism many think it is.Whether populism or centrism wins out in Europe, it is important to note that opposition to the trade deal Canada has with the EU — CETA — came from a coalition of the far left, trade unions, the populist right and some within the centre. The warm embrace Canada imagines may be a wee bit chillier than many imagine.However, more importantly, it is simply not in the interests of Canada to join the European Union. To demonstrate why that is the case it is important to understand what membership of the EU entails. It means accepting a huge loss of sovereignty and subjecting Canada to laws made elsewhere, largely by people Canadians wouldn’t have elected and enforced by a European Court to which all Canadian courts would be subservient. One estimate when the U.K. was a member of the EU concluded that about 60 per cent of U.K. laws in recent years had come from the EU.Membership means agreeing in principle to adopting the Euro, a common foreign policy, accepting unlimited immigration from 27 countries, all of whose citizens must be treated as if they were Canadians in terms of access to housing, health services, benefits, schools and universities. Good luck with that!It means no independent trade policy with every trade deal negotiated by Brussels not Ottawa; deals that would be negotiated for the benefit of the integrated economy of the continent of Europe, not Canada.Then there are the billions of dollars per year in membership fees and adopting European rules and standards on car manufacturing, food standards, agriculture and more besides. The net effect of which would be to erect a massive trade barrier with the economy of the United States; an economy Canada is up to 70 per cent plus reliant on.Worse than that, it is wholly undesirable economically. The continent of Europe has for much of the past decade or so been the worlds second slowest growing continent, ahead of Antarctica!OECD figures tell us that cumulative GDP growth since Q2 2016 has been just 6.3 per cent in Germany, with France faring better at 12.5 per cent. By contrast, the United States has grown 26.8 per cent.Now of course, I accept that the federal government isn’t proposing to join the EU and they are absolutely right to seek to broaden and diversify Canada’s trading relationships. We should just not delude ourselves that there is some easy option just over the horizon. Resolving the trade issues with the United States — an economy that actually enjoys significant growth — should be the priority. Painful as though that may be given the offensive and unpleasant language targeted at Canada recently, it is just a fact that no flirtation or fluttering of eyelashes at the EU can in anyway compensate for the trading relationship to the south.So in future when someone thinks of saying, “You know what, I think Canada should look at joining the EU,” perhaps they can also have a punchline ready to complete this fanciful joke of an idea.Andrew Percy is a former British MP and Minister, serving also as UK Trade Envoy to Canada for Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May. He is now a Vice President at Crestview Strategy. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.