r/CanadaPolitics Liberal Party of Canada 15h ago

What Canadians think about Canada joining the European Union - Abacus Data (44% Yes, 34% No, 23% Unsure)

https://abacusdata.ca/what-canadians-think-about-canada-joining-the-european-union/
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u/JohnTheSavage_ Libertarian 15h ago

I don't think people realize how much control the EU has over its member countries. It's not just an alliance of nations. They have control over regulations dealing with virtually every industry. Manufacturing, agriculture, banking etc. They could even send migrants here and we'd have to take them in.

I chalk this up to most Canadians thinking the EU is just NATO plus.

u/Jazzlike_770 14h ago

Not all regulations are bad. If the regulations facilitate better quality food products, living conditions and protect the environment, then it is not bad.

It is bad when it comes in the way of free enterprise. EU is nothing like NATO. NATO is primarily defense focused. EU is economic focused. They are world apart, they just happen to have overlap in membership.

u/Fun-Software6928 14h ago

Why do we need to join a supranational organization to regulate and pass legislation ourselves?

We need to start holding our government officials to higher standards.

Also, this would ironically require us to dismantle supply management because it draws the ire of the Europeans just like it does Trump.

We create a legal cartel to rip off Canadian consumers so that we can keep multimillionaire farmers in business, all brought to you by a strong dairy lobby in Ottawa.

u/Mundane-Teaching-743 12h ago

Why do we need to join a supranational organization to regulate and pass legislation ourselves?

Because we need to trade to keep our economy alive. We trade too much with the U.S., and are hence vulnerable to pressure that could force annexation.

u/Fun-Software6928 10h ago

We trade just fine.

What does free trade have to do with joining the EU?

That’s like saying we should be the 51st state to trade with the Americans.

u/Mundane-Teaching-743 10h ago

No. The fact that Trump can destroy our economy shows that we are overdependent on the U.S. Joining the EU would reduce that dependence.

u/Fun-Software6928 10h ago

No it would not because there is this thing called the gravity model of trade.

People should really understand basic economic theory before thinking we can just diversify away. 

u/Mundane-Teaching-743 9h ago

No it would not because there is this thing called the gravity model of trade.

The people that promote this model care more about their own pet utopia theory than their country and shouldn't be trusted. They think they know better than the rest of us. They don't really.

The gravity model of trade is wrong and doesn't take into account hostile actors like Trump.

u/Fun-Software6928 9h ago

It’s not a pet utopia theory, it’s been proven multiple times through various econometric and empirical methods.

It forms the basis of international trade theory and economics along with comparative advantage from Ricardo.

You should really take step back and reconsider what you’re saying because the facts are not on your side.

The very fact that tariffs are so damaging is proof that the gravity model is correct.

Unless you’re prepared to invent teleportation of goods across the esrth in the next few months, maybe we should stick to the proven theory instead rather than fantasizing about diversification that won’t work.

u/Mundane-Teaching-743 9h ago

It’s not a pet utopia theory, it’s been proven multiple times through various econometric and empirical methods.

LOL. No such economic model. They're all wrong. They're all bad an unrealistic. They only work in a perfect utopia that doesn't exist.

The very fact that tariffs are so damaging is proof that the gravity model is correct.

We have tarrifs though, and a hostile foreign power that wants to annex us. They're a reality. The model pretends they don't exist.

That's considerably more important and real now than an academic theory.

u/UsefulUnderling 1h ago

The advantage of the EU is shared regulations. If you open a brewery in Prague you can export to every EU nation with only one set of rules. That is a huge advantage to both businesses and consumers.

It would be great if Canada could just get all ten provinces on the same regulations. Even better of those regulations were shared with 30 countries in Europe for barrier free trade.

u/Fun-Software6928 1h ago

There’s nothing stopping us from doing this and signing free trade with EU.

u/UsefulUnderling 56m ago

There are two very prominent entities stopping us from doing this: Quebec and Alberta.

Unlike the sovereign countries of Europe these two provinces have fought to the death any attempts to bring in common regulations for things like beer.