As a German studies student, I had the opportunity to undertake a three-month summer internship in Freiburg, Germany, in 2024. While there, I encountered a bemusing recurring question when locals found out I was Canadian: “Ach, when is Canada joining the European Union?”

The first time this question came up, I laughed it off as a misappraisal of Canada’s place in the world. We’re not quite the US, but we are still Western and democratic, which might lead one to assume us to be closer to the European family. Back then, I thought the question to be silly, but now I am not so sure that I can afford to be so flippant.

Since Donald Trump’s return to the American presidency, his administration has profoundly undermined the Western liberal democratic international order. He has lambasted his allies, capitulated to dictators, and surrounded himself with sycophants, while persistently threatening punitive tariffs on Canada — America’s friendliest neighbour — which has stood by the American people through thick and thin. 

Though we have had foreign policy disagreements in the past, they have usually been limited to polite ‘nos’ and never escalated to threats of trade war or annexation. 

Surely, this marks a suspension in the course of cordial US-Canada relations. If we wish to avoid a choice between the humiliation of economic deprivation or political subjugation, I believe there is a clear answer: closer ties with the European Union (EU), while exploring the possibility of an EU membership.

Why not the EU? 

To me, Canada is and has always been a middle power that relies on multilateralism — the cooperation of multiple countries through alliances and international organizations to address global issues collectively.

As of writing, the US relationship no longer appears as an unshakeable foundation for Canadian policy, and looking across the Pacific Ocean towards totalitarian regimes like China seems to be out of the question if we wish to maintain our own democracy and promote the liberal international order, especially due to China’s leadership style conflicting with ours. That leaves the EU as the only viable option.

Canada and the EU already share strong ties. Since implementing the trade agreement in 2017, the EU has become Canada’s second-largest trading partner. Canadians speak two of the three most spoken languages of the EU, and our values align in promoting democracy, the rule of law, and the primacy of the liberal international order at a time of increasing uncertainty. Alongside the majority of EU states, we uphold the right arm of the Western world — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a beacon of Euro-Atlantic cooperation. 

Yes, we are not physically on the European continent, but neither is EU member Cyprus, which is geographically part of Asia. Additionally, as of 2022, we share a land border in the Arctic with EU member state Denmark. 

In my view, handing over some executive and legislative powers to the EU parliament is preferable to the threat of irrevocably losing even more of our policy independence to intense American pressure, whether that’s the tariff threat or even the 51st state threat. 

Within the EU, there is room for debate, legislative input, and protest, along with varying degrees of a country’s integration before full membership. I cannot trust that the same can be said for a Trumpian world order.

Canada as the 28th EU member

As a member state, we would triple the EU’s landmass, giving the Union its longest external border. With freedom of movement within the EU’s Schengen Area, we may be required to reinforce our border in line with EU policy on preventing irregular entries. We would have the fourth-largest economy in the Union, which could lead to debates about replacing the loonie for the euro or negotiating an opt-out from the eurozone to preserve monetary policy independence. 

With a population of over 40 million, we would rank a respectable fifth in population, ahead of Poland and behind Spain. This might entitle us to about 57 seats in the current 777-member European Parliament — a sizable presence in the Union’s legislature. Every Canadian would gain the right to move permanently to 27 different countries at a moment’s notice, opening up vast opportunities for employment, education, and cultural exchange. 

Of course, all this is assuming we ever get that far.

Associate Professor Tobias Hof of the Departments of History and Germanic Languages & Literatures at U of T affirmed that “the first Trump presidency [brought] the EU and Canada… closer together, because they realized they [were] still upholding this kind of transatlantic partnership that [has] existed for decades now.” 

Hof added that he “wouldn’t be surprised if the second Trump presidency would… expand this closer cooperation in all different spheres.” 

In Hof’s view, “the EU as well as Canada seem to try to speak with one voice” when supporting Ukraine and opposing Trump’s tariffs. He also argues that, although “the typical idea we have of Europe is, of course, the European continent,” the European — and particularly German — perception of Canada remains that “Canadians share a lot of values with what we consider to be European values.”

The EU is a collection of middle powers like Canada, capable of exerting more influence collectively than the countries ever could alone. In a world where the most basic tenets of Western democracy are under attack from within and without, it can surely do us no harm to look to those who would take up arms if necessary to defend it with us — even if the lofty goal of EU accession is ultimately more fantasy than fact. 

Even so, we should dare to dream.

Rudy Yuan is a third-year student at Trinity College studying international relations and German studies.