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Why Canada Should Join the EU

economist.com

781–790 of 823 posts

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#781

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, so, tell me... What's the difference against between people from Eastern Europe and those "other parts of the world" ? You're implying a big difference, but I can't put my finger on what it might be.

Seriously ? People in the West have similar cultural values and customs for one which averts a whole set of social issues for a given nation, denying it and crying "racism" is just silly imo, it's an open secret that a homogeneous nation will be able to align its goals easier than others. I'm from Middle East and am now a Canadian after many years, I know first hand it took my own family ample time to adapt to Wester…

I've been on the grumpy end of enough scowling, dour East Slavs to think that's entirely 100% bullshit. So yes, "seriously"

I enjoy going into the (new) local Indian grocery in my town. On the other hand, I found the Russian (as an example) community in Toronto entirely hostile.

Seems like the majority of my son's friends in (small town / rural) high school are South Asian. And you know what? They're kinder better people than half the redneck neighbours I have around here, with their stupid "Stop Woke" signs on their lawns and shitty fake country music and their F150s barreling through stop signs.

What's that? Those are stereotypes? Wow. Shocking. Maybe we shouldn't make generalizations.

I don't share "values" with some amorphous blob of people from "Eastern Europe" just because they happen to have the same colour of skin as me.

Also... India is a commonwealth country and a former British colony, just like Canada... Unlike, I dunno, Bulgaria or Russia or Poland.

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#782
post #656

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And about 100 years ago, the Irish rebelled and won their independence from England. And those that didn't are no longer being treated this way, and haven't been for more than 50 years. So what exactly should the English learn from Canadians today? Even the Irish in Northern Ireland have more freedom and autonomy than the First Nations have in Canada, not less.

Not to mention that UK doesn't even belong to EU for a quite considerable time for a random person to take a bloody notice.

Ireland does, though, and is it conceivable that a victim might also learn from Canada's mistakes?

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#783
post #535

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does that come with a few trillions in reparations for lands confiscated from Loyalists who were forced to flee to Canada at the end of the American rebellion? Or for the Mohawk who fled here and helped us fight the Yanks off in 1812?

Sorry to shatter your illusions, but all Loyalist land claims were settled in post-Revolutionary War treaties between the US and UK.

I have about as much "illusion" in the reality of this as I do in the "scenario" of the US taking control of my country. Both preposterous concepts.

... which was my point

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#784
post #535

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry to shatter your illusions, but all Loyalist land claims were settled in post-Revolutionary War treaties between the US and UK.

I have about as much "illusion" in the reality of this as I do in the "scenario" of the US taking control of my country. Both preposterous concepts. ... which was my point

https://i.imgur.com/lgcBQ3z.png

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#785
post #511

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every major US tech company has Canada-based hubs for sure. So much cheaper.

My understanding is that Canadian FAANG offices are staffed mostly with those who cannot (and often will never get) a US visa, plus the odd local who doesn't want to move to the US for personal or family reasons.

Not sure about Toronto, but from my anecdotal observation, people come to Vancouver because it's awesome, not because they couldn't get into the US. At least, I've never heard a single coworker say anything along the lines of "I wanted to work in [anywhere in US], but couldn't, so I came to Vancouver".

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#786

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oddly enough I am visiting Japan right now. There are lots of foreign workers in service jobs. They speak zone language and don’t jay walk. Prices feel like a middle income country, but that is just the Yen sucking. Otherwise it feels very first world.

>Prices feel like a middle income country, but that is just the Yen sucking No it isn't. In purchasing power terms Japan has been, or is about to be overtaken by Poland and Slovakia [1]. This is largely due to demographics and the declining share of the working age population. There is nothing that impoverishes countries more. Gradual decline feels fine for a while, until it doesn't when the bulk of the workforce age…

Does this not speaks to the rapid growth of Central Europe economies rather than a decline of Japan? I have read similar comparisons for both the U.K. and Germany vs Poland.

Also, a quick googling suggests both Poland and Japan both have fertility rates around 1.2. Working age of Poland is 65% of the population vs 60% for Japan. So a bit worse.

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#787
post #782
post #656

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention that UK doesn't even belong to EU for a quite considerable time for a random person to take a bloody notice.

Ireland does, though, and is it conceivable that a victim might also learn from Canada's mistakes?

The articles was praising Canada's treatment of the First Nations as a thing that EU countries should learn from, not mistakes to learn from.

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#788

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And most of it misplaced. I've seen that tactic to try to discredit real, valid concerns with immigration, either by lumping it with racism (which definitely exists, but is not the only argument against unfettered immigration), or by pretending something else is the problem (something else may also be a problem, but that doesn't make the problems that people are worried about with high levels of immigration invalid…

In Australia up to 70% of the cost of a home is dictated by zoning and land release issues. 70%. Thats not "Something else" thats "The majority of the issue" Immigration is already controlled here so that its roughly just backfill for population growth targets. State governments are supposed to release enough land to meet population growth targets. They have never met these land release targets. So "Immigration" is a…

Immigration may be "controlled" in the sense that there's rules around it, but it's at record highs (Net Overseas Migration). This is a huge driver of housing prices.

No sane person is focusing on it as the "entire" issue, but it's one of the largest drivers, and it's not racist to notice that. To decry it as racist out of hand is precisely the problem.

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#789
post #782
post #656

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention that UK doesn't even belong to EU for a quite considerable time for a random person to take a bloody notice.

Ireland does, though, and is it conceivable that a victim might also learn from Canada's mistakes?

The level of ignorance of some people here is astonishing.

Re: Why Canada Should Join the EU

#790
post #73

What are the benefits that cannot be obtained by signing trade agreements? Canada is already part of NATO for defence, so joining the EU does nothing for defence. Does Canada want freedom of movement of EU citizens into Canada? They already have a housing crisis. Greece's experience shows a single currency isn't really beneficial to all members of the EU, so Canada would be crazy to give that up.

Would many EU citizens want to move to Canada? When I hear people around me it's not very popular. Cold, far from family, too stretched out etc. I wouldn't think about it even if I could make more money there.

English speaking countries are always popular to move to.
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