Should Canada pursue a policy of autarky, as in trying to produce everything ourselves and forego international trade while isolating ourselves from alliances?
Of course not.
Should we put all our eggs in the U.S. basket, thus leaving ourselves vulnerable to annexationist threats and trade policy that can be changed on a whim?
Nope.
Should we pivot to China and make up lost U.S. trade by becoming more dependent on an authoritarian regime?
I don’t think so.
If we accept that all the above options are less than ideal, that leaves us with few alternatives.
Thankfully, however, one of those alternatives is a positive one:
Deepening ties with the European Union.
That is one of the few options that simultaneously broadens Canada’s trade and defence ties (thus increasing our leverage), reduces our dependence on the United States, avoids a risky and amoral pivot to China, and aligns us with a bloc of nations that broadly share our values.
This strengthens – rather than erodes – Canadian sovereignty, because it provides us with more options, and provides us with deeper ties to a strong bloc of nations that respect Canada’s borders and status as an independent nation.
For those reasons, the federal government was wise to sign a new Canada-EU Strategic Partnership.
While I will examine the EU-Canada Security and Defence Partnership in a more detailed post specifically focused on that issue, I want to address the criticism I’ve seen online claiming that the government is wrong to deepen our ties with Europe.
While much of that rhetoric comes from those who are pushing a soft-annexationist agenda, others seem to think Canadians oppose this course of action. Criticism centres around this supposedly being something people didn’t vote for, and the idea that Canada should instead deepen our ties with the U.S. even further, rather than getting closer to Europe.
The problem with those criticisms is that they are completely out of step with Canadian public opinion.
According to a recent Pew Research survey, 34% of Canadians have a positive view of the United States, down from 54% a year ago. Meanwhile, 64% have a negative view.
Similarly, Research Co. shows 72% of Canadians have a positive view of Italy, compared to 67% with a positive view of France, and 66% with a positive view of Germany. Meanwhile, 30% have a positive view of China, 26% have a positive view of the U.S., and 19% have a positive view of Russia.
Canadians are putting the U.S. in the same league as autocratic states, while ranking EU nations much higher.
Further, 77% support enhancing trade with the EU, while 46% support starting a formal process for Canada to join the EU. By contrast, just 20% say the same about starting a process to join the U.S.
Ultimately, we are seeing democracy at work. A majority of Canadians want a closer Canada-EU relationship, and that’s what they’re getting.
And Canadians are right to want this. With the EU belatedly waking up to its potential, particularly in military production, closer Canada-EU ties could bring substantial economic and security benefits at a time when we need all the friends and allies we can get.
Spencer Fernando
Image – YouTube
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