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In my opinion it’s dead on arrival. Canadians don’t want the massive immigration this will bring from sluggish European economies. Europe won’t want Canadian ag

In my opinion it’s dead on arrival. Canadians don’t want the massive immigration this will bring from sluggish European economies. Europe won’t want Canadian agricultural imports. And what is this about associate members? I thought we Europeans made a point about memberships being all or nothing from now on (Euro, regulations, etc.) Let’s bring the UK back at this rate.

philistine 15d ago
I do not believe that once the ink dries on what the EU is willing to concede that the people in Canada would agree in a referendum. This reeks of being custom made to enrage one person in particular and give leeway for negotiations.
- soderfoo 15d ago
  Exactly. Alot of this doesn't pass a basic smell test. It would take quite sometime to negotiate, draft, debate, and ratify any agreements. Nevermind the diplomatic tight rope the EU would need to walk internally. It's fanciful thinking to believe this is a slam dunk that could get done anytime soon.
  - etiennemarcel 15d ago
    We’ll settle for Erasmus and everybody will take it for a win. Meanwhile the ex will be jealous of the new girlfriend and rage on social media.
surgical_fire 15d ago
Except Switzerland and EEA exist? The UK could absolutely pursue some form of association with the EU if it so desired, it doesn't need to be in the EU for increased cooperation. The problem is that the UK people overseeing brexit wanted very much to cherry-pick only what was advantageous for the UK only and cede on nothing that the bloc desired. As for Canada, we will have to wait and see. Is it a Switzerland style deal (an endless torrent of asterisks)? Is it something similar to EEA but lighter? Something that is more focused on trade and mutual defense and less on freedom of movement and financial ties? Probably the main advantage of the EU is that it is much stronger at negotiating these sorts of agreements than any of its individual countries would have been. It is a deal, both sides bring something to the table and try to negotiate what comes from that.

philistine 15d ago

I do not believe that once the ink dries on what the EU is willing to concede that the people in Canada would agree in a referendum. This reeks of being custom made to enrage one person in particular and give leeway for negotiations.

soderfoo 15d ago
Exactly. Alot of this doesn't pass a basic smell test. It would take quite sometime to negotiate, draft, debate, and ratify any agreements. Nevermind the diplomatic tight rope the EU would need to walk internally. It's fanciful thinking to believe this is a slam dunk that could get done anytime soon.
- etiennemarcel 15d ago
  We’ll settle for Erasmus and everybody will take it for a win. Meanwhile the ex will be jealous of the new girlfriend and rage on social media.

surgical_fire 15d ago

Except Switzerland and EEA exist? The UK could absolutely pursue some form of association with the EU if it so desired, it doesn't need to be in the EU for increased cooperation. The problem is that the UK people overseeing brexit wanted very much to cherry-pick only what was advantageous for the UK only and cede on nothing that the bloc desired. As for Canada, we will have to wait and see. Is it a Switzerland style deal (an endless torrent of asterisks)? Is it something similar to EEA but lighter? Something that is more focused on trade and mutual defense and less on freedom of movement and financial ties? Probably the main advantage of the EU is that it is much stronger at negotiating these sorts of agreements than any of its individual countries would have been. It is a deal, both sides bring something to the table and try to negotiate what comes from that.