What about Canada joining the European union?

Politico Europe reported last week Canada could join EU, French foreign minister says Half-joking comments about Canada joining the bloc have become common as Ottawa adapts to its fraying relationship with the United States.

France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot has floated the idea that Canada could one day join the European Union, using the transatlantic ally as a striking example of the bloc’s global appeal.
Speaking at the Europe 2026 conference in Berlin alongside his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, Barrot argued that the EU is increasingly attracting partners far beyond its borders as geopolitical tensions soar.
“Nine countries are formally candidates to EU accession today. Others might join them,” Barrot said. “Iceland in a few weeks or months. And maybe Canada at some point.”
Barrot’s Canada remark was not presented as a concrete policy proposal, but rather as part of a broader argument that the EU is emerging as a “third superpower” capable of balancing the rivalry between the United States and China.
Earlier on Tuesday, Finnish President Alexander Stubb suggested to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney while the pair were out running that he should “think about” joining the EU as well.
The comments come as European leaders push to strengthen the bloc’s geopolitical role amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and the U.S. war in the Middle East….
Canada has already pushed back on any suggestion of EU membership, with Carney stating there are no plans to join the bloc. “The short answer is no,” the Canadian PM said when asked about the idea at the NATO summit earlier this year. “That’s not the intent. That’s not the pathway we’re on.”
Instead, Ottawa has been pursuing closer ties short of membership, including a new strategic defense and security partnership with the EU aimed at deepening cooperation across trade, supply chains and security.
While full EU membership for Canada is unlikely in the short term, and no concrete plans to realize it are yet known to be in motion, given the increasing geopolitical turbulence it is not impossible.

Some other comments:

Stronger together in uncertain times 🇪🇺🇨🇦

Canada is a strategic partner to the EU and at a time of growing global instability, this bond matters more than ever.

Parliament wants the EU to take its cooperation with Canada to the next level.

Read more: link.europa.eu/jTn6tB

[image or embed]

— European Parliament (@europarl.europa.eu) March 20, 2026 at 4:01 AM

Acceptance is growing in Europe for Canada🇨🇦 to join the European Union🇪🇺.

Guy Verhofstadt🇧🇪: “There is no reason why EU membership should be off the table [for Canada].”

Jean-Noël Barrot🇫🇷: “And maybe Canada at some point.”

Johann Wadephul🇩🇪: “I am open for Canada.”

— Dr. Michael MacKay (@michaelmackay.bsky.social) March 19, 2026 at 11:30 AM

Here is a substacker Steve Miles Net writing A European Anchor. Why Canada’s EU Membership Debate Reflects Deeper Anxieties About American Dependence

Joining the European Union would be a radical, transformative — and deeply polarizing — move for Canada. On one hand, it offers a powerful hedge against U.S. economic and political volatility, especially under a second Trump administration, by anchoring Canada in a bloc of liberal democracies committed to multilateralism, rule of law, and high regulatory standards.
…. Canada already meets two of the EU’s three Copenhagen criteria for membership: it is a stable democracy with a free-market economy.
The third — adopting the acquis communautaire, or the entire body of EU law — would require a sweeping overhaul of Canadian policy, from environmental regulations to labor rights, and even replacing the Canadian dollar with the euro
The benefits are substantial: unfettered access to a 450-million-person single market, stronger climate and social protections, and deeper integration into global governance structures.
But the obstacles are immense. … the political and cultural divide within Canada itself may be the biggest barrier: Western provinces and Conservative voters tend to feel closer to the U.S. and the U.K., while Eastern provinces and Liberals lean toward Europe.
….In short: joining the EU would be good for Canada if the goal is to diversify away from American dependence and lock in high social, environmental, and economic standards — but it would come at a steep cost in terms of institutional change, political unity, and national identity. For now, it remains a provocative thought experiment — one that reflects Canada’s growing unease with its geopolitical alignment, not a realistic near-term policy.

But there is a possible step, as described here by Stéphane Dion writing in a SAGE Guest Column: Canada Should Join the European Political Community

On March 16, Finnish President Alexander Stubb invited Prime Minister Mark Carney to consider Canada’s accession to the European Union
(EU). On the same day, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also mentioned, only half-jokingly, such an entry of Canada into the EU.
Since The Economist launched the idea in January 2025, it periodically resurfaces, notably among Canadian and European experts on Canada-EU relations.
Prime Minister Carney rejected this possibility, preferring to conclude concrete and comprehensive partnership agreements with the EU and its member states on trade, defence, and other issues of common interest. He is right in my opinion.
Canada’s membership in the EU is unrealistic and, moreover, undesirable. I suggest, however, that what is feasible and desirable is Canada’s entry into the European Political Community, a coordination forum launched four years ago at the suggestion of Emmanuel Macron that brings together the leaders of the entire European continent, beyond the European Union, twice a year.
The loss of sovereignty that our entry into the EU would entail would never be accepted by Canadians and would require impossible trade-offs within our decentralized federation: who, Ottawa or the provinces, should give up more of their powers to Brussels? We would probably have to reopen our Constitution!…

At this point in the article, I can almost hear Dion whispering “oh, the horror, the horror!”

….So let’s be concrete: let’s truly implement all these partnership agreements that we sign with Europeans and fully take advantage of them, starting with CETA. According to the Chief Economist of Global Affairs Canada, only 60% of its potential is used by our businesses. Reaching 100% may not be realistic, but there is room for improvement.
Another thing that should be done, and I openly make the proposal here, is Canada’s membership in the European Political Community (EPC). Created in 2022 at the proposal of President Macron, it brings together the leaders of 47 European countries to promote their cooperation on common issues such as security, stability, and prosperity. Only two European countries are not invited: Russia and Belarus, due to the war of aggression against Ukraine.
Our membership in this political coordination platform would be entirely beneficial. It would strengthen our ties with Europe and allow our Prime Minister to consult with the leaders of countries he would never have time to visit individually. It would consolidate our status as the most European of non-European countries…

Is Poilievre circling the drain?

Evan Scrimshaw writes Poilievre, Rogan, And Being At The End Of The Road He’s Running Out Of Ideas, And Time

…the Conservatives are at a nadir, and they’re reaching for their low hanging fruit at the same time. …
Will it work? Who knows, but the new Liaison has half its sample from this past week, and at least some of it would have been post Rogan, and they’re still down 14%. Maybe others will have a big Conservative rebound, but the chances that an interview where Poilievre seemingly said little will move the needle is as fanciful as the worst lies of the Trudeau deadenders. The honest truth is that Poilievre won’t be able to keep this party together indefinitely if the polls don’t get any better, and if he thinks Rogan is the card he had to play, I don’t think he’s got another better one. …
If I’m a Conservative with any ambition right now, why should I stay in the sinking ship that is Poilievre’s Conservative Party?

Poilievre isn’t going to be able to deny his misleading lies in that Rogan interview.
In The Conversation on Tuesday, academic researchers Jaigris Hodson, Brianna I. Wiens, Nick Ruest and Shana MacDonald reported Fact check: Pierre Poilievre’s misinformation on Joe Rogan’s podcast disrespects Canadians

…we analyzed Poilievre’s comments to Rogan to see if any of the podcaster’s well-known conspiratorial or misinformation-laden ideas made it into the conversation, and how Poilievre responded.
While recent coverage of the podcast episode in news media has focused on tariffs, Canada-U.S. relations and a shared love of fitness, we found misinformation on immigration, the health and environmental consequences of Alberta’s oilsands, seed oils, safer drug supply measures and the causes of inflation….

The article continues to detail these issues, then concludes:

… Does it matter if Poilievre is spreading misinformation about Canada on Rogan’s podcast? We believe it does.
Poilievre aspires to become prime minister and should aim to lead the country in ways that benefit all Canadians, including canola farmers, immigrants, people who use drugs and the communities that are currently polluted by oil development….
…By promoting politically expedient misinformation on a show like Joe Rogan’s, Poilievre risks eroding Canadians’ shared understanding of public health, environmental challenges and social cohesion — all issues he should be working to address.
At a time when democratic communication is strained by misinformation and deepening polarization, Canadians should expect better from their political leaders, regardless of party.

And this is great:

And something else I’ve noticed about Poilievre – Canadian political cartoonists aren’t doing very many cartoons about him anymore. So that may also be a sign that Poilievre is past his best-before date as far as Canada is concerned.