It’s showy, it’s insubstantial, but Carney’s EU scheme is slick politics: Full Comment podcast
- Prime Minister Mark Carney's proposal for "associate membership" in the European Union is unclear and not recognized within the EU framework.
- The proposal serves as a distraction amid ongoing trade tensions between Canada and the United States.
- Anand Menon highlights the significant challenges and unlikely prospects of Canada replacing North American trade with Europe, though increased cooperation is possible.
- Carlo Dade suggests that despite doubts about the proposal's benefits, Canada may have limited options but to pursue closer ties with the EU.
There’s no such thing as “associate membership” in the European Union and nobody knows what it means, but Prime Minister Mark Carney’s proposal for it has proven to be a dazzling distraction as he flounders in a trade war with the United States. Brian Lilley talks this week with Anand Menon, an EU studies specialist based in England, and Carlo Dade, international policy director at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. Menon details the formidable challenges and hazards of Canada trying to displace North American trade with Europe, and why it probably won’t happen, although he says there is room for improved co-operation. And while Carney’s idea is dubious and of questionable benefit, Dade explains why he thinks we might not have much choice but to try it. (Recorded Sept. 17, 2026.)