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Why Canada Should Join the EU

economist.com

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Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#121
post #66

Canada will do much better joining US (and distancing itself from declining EU and its disastrous policies). The US is much better managed; the results speak for themselves.

Let’s set aside the jokes for a second... there’s a case to be made for Canada, Greenland, and the US forming a closer political and economic union. Not as some imperialistic land grab, but as a pragmatic response to shifting global power dynamics and shared interests.

Just hang on - this isn't as crazy as it sounds!

Think about it:

- There would be a shared defense and infrastructure: NORAD already has the US and Canada tied at the hip for defense. Greenland, being strategically crucial to Arctic security, fits naturally into this alignment. Folding them into a single framework could simplify and strengthen North American defense.

- Economic integration's already there: the US and Canada are each other's largest trading partners. NAFTA (and now USMCA) means much of the heavy economic lifting is already done. Greenland’s resources are becoming increasingly important as Arctic access opens up.

- Population and resources balance out: Canada has land and resources but not enough people. The US has people and markets but strained resources. Greenland sits on untapped potential. There’s a complementary puzzle here that fits. Heck, I know a bunch of people that would move to Greenland in my circle of friends alone if it were a state of the Union.

Think about the plausibility, even if you don' think it's likely.

Sure, there's political gridlock in the US? Sure. But let’s not pretend Canadian politics are a beacon of stability. And Denmark’s hold on Greenland isn’t exactly ironclad. In unstable times, pragmatic unions can look attractive.

And yeah, there are a lot of cultural differentials, but flipping flap jacks, look at the cultural divide between California vs Indiana or TX vs Vermont. Mergers like this happen incrementally - closer military cooperation, shared Arctic development, economic harmonization.

Not saying this will/could happen tomorrow, but in a time of rethinking alliances, I think it’s less far-fetched than it sounds. If Europe can experiment with supranational governance, why can’t North America????

What are the realistic roadblocks here beyond just "politics?"

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#122
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry, but what a bizarre and ridiculous way to respond to this rhetorical, largely humorous thought piece. Especially given that it's a response to Trump's continued declarations that Canada should join the US. Is Trump's constant senile yapping about absorbing Canada or Greenland or Panama also proof of how broken the US is? As a Canadian, the #1 reason I wouldn't want to join the EU is that the Schengen Agreem…

Does Canada have a migration issue? It didn’t seem that way the last time I was in Vancouver. Meanwhile, in Europe, self-inflicted wounds from austerity, corruption, and years of ineffective policies continue to mount – and as usual, immigrants are the scapegoats. When the euro was introduced, the conversation was about harmonizing taxes, social welfare, pensions, and wages. Now, the EU celebrates forcing iPhones to…

An increasing number of Canadians think they have a migration issue. This rhetoric is currently selling well.

It's not really factually correct though.

Canada has a housing price inflation problem, at a level I don't think most Americans can really grasp. It is definitely connected with high legal immigration, but not exclusively, as the exponential growth curve in prices began a long time ago (like 20 years ago) and is definitely connected with fiscal policy choices and legal aspects of how the property market is managed.

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#124
post #66

Canada will do much better joining US (and distancing itself from declining EU and its disastrous policies). The US is much better managed; the results speak for themselves.

The opposite would be better for the US. If the US joined Canada, they could benefit from universal healthcare, schooling, and responsible gun laws within a short period of time, given the available resources that would be added to the Canadian system.

This is wishful thinking. The quality of public healthcare in Canada has been declining. In particular, the waiting times are long. Those who are well off go to US for important timely care.

The gun violence in US is higher, but the chances of that impacting you are low, if you avoid problematic areas.

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then could the newly elected US president kindly STFU about Canada this month? Thanks.

or about anything else for that matter

One can only dream, but I'll just start with a modest request.

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#126
post #8

> Europeans could learn from Canada how to allow immigration in a fashion that the population embraces rather than tolerates Clearly the author is ignorant. Canadians are sick of immigration. Young Canadians doubly so. Racism is becoming more acceptable by the day.

> Young Canadians doubly so. Racism is becoming more acceptable by the day.

Always has been. Well at least in my experience in online gaming with a small portion of French Canadians.

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#127
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The opposite would be better for the US. If the US joined Canada, they could benefit from universal healthcare, schooling, and responsible gun laws within a short period of time, given the available resources that would be added to the Canadian system.

> they could benefit from universal healthcare Having lived on both sides of the border for many years, Canada first needs to improve its version of "universal healthcare" before making a pitch like this.

With US monetary resources, this would be near immediate (and welcome)

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#128

> Canada’s inclusive treatment of its indigenous peoples, at least in recent decades, could be emulated by Europeans (though First Nations Canadians might fairly object to closer ties with ex-colonists) I really wonder what the author meant with this line. There's very few populations in Europe that bear any similarity whatsoever with the relationship between First Nations people and most Canadians, since most popula…

> And the few tribal populations in Northern Europe generally were and certainly are today treated at least as fairly as anything in Canada.

Really? The Sami populations don't have any sovereignty that I know of.

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#129
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I truly cannot tell whether you're joking. If you're not, I'd love to pick your brain. I'm very interested in what standards you have and why you have them.

The user also calls unions a cancer on society, that tells you everything you need to know.

[flagged]

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#130
post #66

Canada will do much better joining US (and distancing itself from declining EU and its disastrous policies). The US is much better managed; the results speak for themselves.

"The point" of Canada is that it's a separate country that doesn't have US politics.

That being said, the general lockdown of the boarder after 9-11 has driven a lot of people who live close to the boarder nuts. Crossing the boarder used to be like crossing a state/province boarder. If you look at satellite photos of the boarder around Maine, NH, and VT, it's full of little country roads where you could cross unimpeded until 9-11, and private properties that go right up to the boarder.

There's even a golf course that's in Canada, but the driveway is on a US street. You're allowed to enter from the US, but they follow Canadian laws (specifically, the Canadian drinking age.)

Personally, I wish we could figure out how to resolve our (relatively minor) differences so we could keep an open boarder.

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