423

A further 58 per cent indicated it was a proposal worth exploring further

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The br*tish would be so mad hahaha

[-] merc@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago

Realistically though, if it did happen, it would make it much easier for the UK to get back into the EU.

[-] amorpheus@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago
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[-] Goldholz 51 points 1 month ago

Honestly i find it funny. Lets add australia and New Zeeland too! Britain leaves the union "to have trade deals with australia" then australia joins the EU. Would be the funniest shit ever

[-] Pipster 23 points 1 month ago

I think you give too much credit to the morons who voted for economic suicide. They didn't vote to have deals with Australia, they all thought we were so big and important that the EU would bend over backwards to give us a favourable trade deal even though every single expert on the subject disagreed. The Australia and Canada deals came up only after we shot ourselves in the head.

[-] Goldholz 11 points 1 month ago

I didnt give any credit to the morons voting for economic suicide. But i pitty them for all they fell for.

Charles de gaule said it best "britain will see the european community only as replacrment to its dying empire and wont ever dedicate itself to it"

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[-] No1@aussie.zone 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Oi!

We Aussies have been in Eurovision for over a decade.

We better be let in the EU before those other cunts!

Cheers

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[-] webkitten@piefed.social 43 points 1 month ago

Yes, but also Canada in Eurovision.

[-] officermike@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago

What chance do the Europeans have against Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Shaniah Twain, and Ted Cruz?

[-] webkitten@piefed.social 14 points 1 month ago

Are you forgetting Canada's greatest export, Barenaked Ladies?

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[-] kambusha@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 month ago

Celine Dion won it for Switzerland, if memory serves correctly

[-] Akasazh@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Only if they kick Israel out first

[-] balsoft@lemmy.ml 38 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Canada is not geographically eligible to join the EU by definition. The founding treaties would need to be rewritten and re-signed by all parties, which does not seem feasible short-term. The way more likely route is more trade agreements and such, which would indeed be good for everyone

[-] cecilkorik@lemmy.ca 34 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Fortunately, in the post-truth world we no longer have to be limited by the meanings of words or historical precedent. We can simply redefine geography whenever it suits us, others are already doing so with impunity. If the Gulf of Mexico can become the Gulf of America and South America can become the United Colonies of America, then why can't Canada become Europe? Nobody gives a fuck anymore. This isn't about getting marked correctly on an assignment, this is about survival in the face of the collapse of world order and building a fortress around social democracy before it's divided and conquered.

[-] hoshikarakitaridia@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

Did you really just "vibe-contract" geopolitics?

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[-] RudeOnTuesdays@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

I don't think there is an actual definition of European state in any of the EU documents, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

[-] balsoft@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago

Actually, you are right and I'm mostly wrong. The Maastricht Treaty just says:

Any European State which respects the principles set out in Article 6(1) may apply to become a member of the Union. It shall address its application to the Council, which shall act unanimously after consulting the Commission and after receiving the assent of the European Parliament, which shall act by an absolute majority of its component members.

So, what is a "European State" is effectively just a political decision by the Council and Parliament. I guess if Cyprus and Armenia were considered "European States" then Canada is not that big of a stretch.

Additionally, the next paragraph is

The conditions of admission and the adjustments to the Treaties on which the Union is founded, which such admission entails, shall be the subject of an agreement between the Member States and the applicant State. This agreement shall be submitted for ratification by all the contracting States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.

Soo I guess even the Maastricht treaty allows itself to be modified, maybe removing the "European" criteria completely.

So it's not as difficult as I first imagined, it's just a question of political will from Canada and the EU institutions.

[-] Windex007@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

It has been tested and Morocco didn't make the cut. I think it'd be a tough sell to argue Canada does when Morocco doesn't.

Canada technically administers a small parcel of land in France, and Canada has a land border with an EU state.

I do think that if Canada was genuinely prepared and unambiguously politically willing to join the EU, that the rules would get rewritten. Canada would be the 4th largest economy in the EU.

I think any hesitation on the EU side would be basic trust that they aren't going to get jerked around by another primarily English speaking country, or have the country fall prey to unsavoury North American politics. I feel like Canada would need to do some PR work to distance ourselves from the UK and USA.

[-] freebee@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 month ago

That application was in 1987. A lot has changed. In 1987 Spain only just joined (1986). There has been for a very long time dispute about the Western Sahara, occupied by Morocco and from where a lot of previous inhabitants/resistance have since lived in Spain. It was at that time and I think it still is also just an easy excuse to not include an officially Muslim country. And a Moroccan border would be a lot harder to guard against than current borders. Little of this kind of stuff with Canada, they'd just blab about historical ties and historical times requiring historical steps etc and make it happen. Biggest obstacle would be Hungary, USA, Russia, not geography.

[-] merc@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 month ago

Also, being in the EU means meeting a lot of product, drug, food, etc. safety standards.

Just to pick one, to meet electricity standards, Canadian outlets would have to accept Type C Europlug devices and supply them with 230V at 50 Hz. That would mean redoing the entire Canadian electrical grid in a way that would make it incompatible with the American one. I don't think that's realistic.

More realistic is some variation of the deal that the EU has with Switzerland. Not in the EU but lots of bilateral deals that mostly make the border disappear for travellers.

[-] Scrollone@feddit.it 9 points 1 month ago

Ireland is in the EU (and the UK was too) and their sockets don't accept Type C either.

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[-] Lumisal@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

I don't think France or, when they were part of it, UK, ever got the memo. Heck even Spain really.

Unless you're going to tell me South America is geographically available while Canada isn't.

[-] webkitten@piefed.social 6 points 1 month ago

Well they do share a border with France, in the loosest sense

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[-] Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 21 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Ok, but besides the bylaws, treaties, & other whathaveyous, afaik Canada has systems (trades, standards) way close to USA than to continental European countries. From the integration pov this would be a giant task. And if Canada would gain significant power (which it would) a lot more of "USA" things & ways of life would leak to "euEU".

It's a very complex hypothetical question that can hardly be judged via sentiment tracking at "this stage" (which isn't even a stage).

Nevertheless positive responses are very nice, yay friends!

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[-] IanTwenty@piefed.social 15 points 1 month ago

Canenter, Canentrance, Can'entree?

[-] BriniaSona@piefed.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 month ago

Can'En-route

I tried to make it work in both French and English.

[-] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 month ago
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[-] SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world 13 points 1 month ago

How hard is it to move a country to get it into the EU?

Assuming you don't have a couple hundred million years.

[-] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 month ago

Well, we're already only 20km away from France, south of Newfoundland. And share a little land border with Greenland.

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[-] digital_digger@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

It makes sense because right now UE is running so smooothly. Everyone interests are aligned.

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[-] Goldholz 11 points 1 month ago
[-] RamenJunkie@midwest.social 13 points 1 month ago

The year is 2098, Earth has finally found peace and united under one flag, except for England, who is sticking to its Brexit plans.

[-] Goldholz 5 points 1 month ago

But only england. Scotland, wales, cornwall, north ireland, island of man, they are all not part anymore

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[-] ragas@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago

Earth Union

[-] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 month ago

A Super Earth, if you will.

[-] webkitten@piefed.social 5 points 1 month ago

A united federation of planets, if you will.

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[-] yumyumsmuncher@feddit.uk 8 points 1 month ago

I'm up for it just to trigger and over power Trump's permanent term

[-] BeardededSquidward 5 points 1 month ago

Truthfully, it's likely a case of either they partner with the EU or realize Trump's 51st state remark isn't bravodo.

[-] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

We should develop much closer commercial and other ties (eg regulatory) with the EU but Canada should not outright join. We don't need the Euro and we don't need the European Stability and Growth Pact. Lower as many barriers, but we have to keep control of our basic economic policy levers.

Edit: by the way, after looking it up, I'm finding that EU rules about "State Aid" would make the new NDP platform (Avi Lewis campaigned on public options and Crown corporations for various sectors, and buy-canadian rules to protect workers during the green transition) infeasible. So... no, I'm not interested in joining an economic bloc that makes democratic socialism functionally impossible.

[-] Windex007@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

Adopting the Euro isn't a requirement, so kinda a weird thing to say.

[-] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)
[-] Windex007@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

With precedent of an opt-out clause.

There are plenty of reasons to join or not join a union of any kind.

"But Canada would be forced onto the Euro" to me reads as straight propaganda because it acts directly as an identity wedge. This is even before it not being strictly true.

If you're concerned about Canada joining the EU, you can merely state that article 49 restricts membership to European states, and it has already been tested by Morocco.

[-] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The Danish opt out is not a precedent, it was grandfathered in when the 1992 Maastricht treaty was signed. The same treaty requires all new members to eventually join the euro once the convergence criteria are satisfied.

And chill it with the propaganda accusations. Some times people actually know what they're talking about and poisoning the conversation with bad faith accusations of some hidden propaganda agenda is just fucking toxic.

I don't need "identity" issues to argue against the EU. My actual deepest objections stem from the State Aid EU rules that make democratic socialist policies impossible. I just voted for Avi Lewis to lead the NDP and his public option policy proposals are literally illegal in the EU framework. That's my actual argument against joining a constitutionally neoliberal economic bloc. If the EU tomorrow abolished those rules I would have less of a problem.

Edit: the Euro and the SGP are also problems. Even Trudeau's moderate deficits would have not been allowed under the SGP. And pegging to the Euro doesn't make that much sense either, especially when we have Dutch disease in Alberta and we're generally a materials exporter. My disagreement is economic not identitarian. I'm a dual EU citizen for fucks sake.

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[-] UninvestedCuriosity@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Higher sales tax but sane policy like GDPR and workers rights by comparison in competition are a strong pull for me in this. I don't hate the idea so long as we don't receive just all the hardships on the bottom while the wealth class get all the benefits. Had Canada actually kept their budget in order and not just pissed it away into debt when they had the chance? I might be more for sovereignty but I'd definitely take advantage of all the additional opportunity to contribute to brain drain if it made sense. I actually think they would find difficulty in keeping Canadians staying in Canada if this was an option.

Even within Canada I feel trapped by low rent in a high cost of living area and I don't want to gamble on leaving the only leg up I have in the world. Leaving this situation could open me up to so many jobs but the value at the end of the day doesn't make sense because I'd be starting over in rent costs at the current market rate. So I can't make it make sense. This hurts my earning potential lifelong but what good is earning potential if it all ends up in someone else's pocket while I take higher risk positions.

[-] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago

Real Americans support this.

[-] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 month ago

Yes, what we need is more bureaucracy and endless layers of useless people.

I'm in! Tax me baby!

[-] biofaust@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Lately I take the stance of no more member countries until veto is removed.

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this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2026
423 points (100.0% liked)

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