Canada is 'the most European of non-European countries,' says Stéphane Dion
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Dion → say → countries
Former special envoy to the EU says Canada will always retain its sovereignty as it grows closer to Europe
It's in Canada's best interest to form a stronger alliance with Europe, regardless of what happens in the U.S.-Canada trade war, says Canada's former envoy to the European Union.
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envoy → say → Union
During a speech in France on Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sang Prime Minister Mark Carney's praises and said Europe wants to open the door for Canada to become an "associate member" of the EU.
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Canada → sing → EU
What exactly that means remains unclear, as there is no such legal designation in the EU.
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means → mean → EU
Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's incoming ambassador to the EU, said both sides remain "a ways away" from settling on a description for a potential relationship, let alone a label.
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sides → say → relationship
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, meanwhile, has said that any kind of membership in the EU could force Canadians to "pay higher taxes to a government in Europe or to follow laws made by European bureaucrats."
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kind → say → bureaucrats
Former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, who was special envoy to the EU between 2017 and 2025, says there's no chance of that ever happening.
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that → say → 2017
Here's part of his conversation with As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
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It → happen → Köksal
But the use of that phrase "associate member" ... what does that language signal to you?
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language → signal → you
Are you happy to hear that phrasing?
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you → hear → phrasing
I think what President von der Leyen wanted to do is to signal how much she's ambitious in the relationship between Canada and the EU.
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she → think → Canada
She did it also to convince the EU members to have the same ambition.
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She → do → ambition
What the prime minister doesn't want, though, is to give the sense that it may mean that Canada would transfer to Brussels part of its sovereignty, that some of the federal or provincial jurisdiction would be handled from Brussels.
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some → want → Brussels
I think the prime minister will tomorrow, [in his speech before European Parliament], make very clear that he wants a very strong relationship, the ability to develop trade or military support or contracts or scientific co-operation and so on, but as two sovereign entities.
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he → think → entities
Do you get the sense at this stage that Canadian officials are maybe caught off guard by the language in this overture from Ursula von der Leyen, or were they expecting it and are prepared to counter it in a diplomatic way?
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they → get → way
I suspect they are a bit surprised, and the leaders of the member states as well.
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they → suspect → states
But the key point for all of us, I think, it's not the label we'll call it.
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we → think → it
The key moment will be 29th and 30th of October in Canada when the EU and Canada will have the next summit.
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EU → have → summit
I think the prime minister tomorrow will announce where the summit will happen.
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summit → think → ?
And at this summit, we need to take stock of the improvement of our relationship and how far we may go for the years to come.
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we → need → years
When you were in your previous role, I mean, could you have imagined this level of closeness or that we would be discussing this sort of thing at this moment?
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we → mean → moment
Yes, we were working hard to always strengthen the relationship with the EU.
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we → work → EU
The label we would call it was not an issue at that time.
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we → call → time
It became an issue today.
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It → become → ?
I want now concrete results.
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I → want → results
To give you an example, for years we say we need to co-operate about critical minerals.
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we → give → minerals
Now, we need to see German, French, Italian, Polish investments coming big time in Canada to develop this mining activity and to bring the resource to the market, including, of course, the EU market.
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investments → need → market
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is … raising concerns about things that, from what I hear from you, you don't believe are on the table.
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you → raise → table
But should questions of sovereignty be, you know, a concern for Canadians, even at this stage?
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you → know → stage
Yes, but the idea that Canada would be a member of the EU, we never reached the first base.
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we → reach → base
We never accepted the loss of sovereignty it would mean.
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it → accept → sovereignty
They would have very [many] difficulties to welcome us as a member because they are afraid of our competition, especially our agriculture.
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they → have → competition
So it would not work.
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it → work → ?
What would work, though, is to have stronger partnerships on all the issues the prime minister will speak [about] in his speech tomorrow — scientific co-operation, trade, investments, military co-operation, the Arctic.
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minister → work → speech
They said "no" in a referendum in Iceland ... just to continue talks about potentially, you know, joining the EU because there were concerns there about sovereignty and fishing, in particular.
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you → say → sovereignty
So, it's not only Pierre Poilievre raising these issues.
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it → raise → issues
How does that example in Iceland, you know, fit into the Canadian example or concerns people here might have?
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people → know → example
Well, in Iceland, they went as far as to ask the question, should we join the EU?
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we → go → EU
In Canada, nobody's speaking about that except in some corners, but it's not mainstream.
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it → speak → corners
So I don't think there is a partisan disagreement about that.
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I → think → that
…and 20 more, not listed.
The Aporia
