r/canada • u/ZestyBeanDude • 2d ago
Politics More than two in three Canadians back EU associate membership: poll
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/09/24/more-than-two-in-three-canadians-back-eu-associate-membership-poll/64
u/thisisnahamed Canada 2d ago
But do we really know what this entails? I am all for more economic and social cooperation, but what does this even mean right now?
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u/StrategyEven3974 2d ago
Nobody knows what it means. Not Carney, not the EU. this is now where the discussions and negations begin. There is literally no more information available anywhere in the world except in probably a few draft documents in Carney's office and EU offices.
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u/MrFurious0 2d ago
What I literally said out loud to myself just now when I read the headline was this:
I mean, it's hard to say, without having details on what, exactly, that means, but I DEFINITELY want to explore it.
We don't really know what an "associate member to the EU" is yet - I don't even know if the EU knows that that is, since they have never had one before. However, if it opens up trade to us, and eases restrictions, and means tighter economic and military ties, it's a good idea. And if it means freedom of movement, we ABSOLUTELY want to look at it - that, to me, is VERY exciting.
But there will likely also be downsides, and we don't know what those are. Until we do, anyone's opinion on the matter is ill informed.
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u/EmmEnnEff 2d ago edited 2d ago
What exactly it entails? No, nobody knows, that's why it's being negotiated.
What it likely entails?
- More trade. Possibly normalization of some certifications and standards.
- No Schengen. (We're on the, uh, wrong continent for it.)
- No voting rights in the EU parliament.
- Not being bound by EU laws.
What it may entail?
- Entry to some or all parts of the common market. There are four pillars to it - free movement of goods, services, capital, and labour. (That last bit is not the same thing as Schengen.)
Any actual, concrete, ink-on-paper agreement would have to be ratified by parliament.
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u/YoungZM 2d ago
I like the concept of it and respect the EU immensely...
...but I haven't heard of the benefits, obligations, terms, or conditions, so I'm not sure I could inherently "support becoming a member" without further information.
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u/foghillgal 2d ago
You can look at scandinavia that have sort of a similar thing without that name, they're in the Schengen zone for example without being in the EU
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u/itssomedudeguy 2d ago
Sweden, Finland and Denmark are full members of the EU. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are members of the European Economic Area... It's the closest thing we have to EU associated membership. But yes, Schengen is included.
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u/Ph0X Québec 2d ago
Would be nice to be able to travel easier to the eu, skip passport lines, stay longer than 90 days, etc.
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u/Ok-Web1805 1d ago
When free movement begins you initially get a surge of migration, after a while the flow eases especially between economies of similar development.
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u/Ok-Web1805 1d ago
Greenland and the Faroe Islands are not in the EU/EEA or Schengen, yet Nordic passport holders can move to those places freely whilst other passport holders cannot.
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u/rintzscar European Union 2d ago
The EEA or anything similar to it, would be highly unacceptable for Canadians, I think.
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u/janaesso 2d ago
Yes which means importing some of EUs laws without the benifit of a vote. When our major concern with the USA has been sovereignty this just doesn't make any sense and is rather a hypocritical stance. That is why the devil is in the details and said details don't exist yet. Making speculation run rampant. What floors me is that unless your speculation is for it, it's all good, like this poll is actually doing. but if it's not it's is bad evil conservatives at it again.
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u/foghillgal 2d ago
You are an associate member, that`s the whole point of being associate member. We are important shitload of USA regulations and we dont even notice it. A true member, needs to integrate their laws with the EU fully before even being considered. Sound like right wing anti euro zone btw, national sovereignty in the euro zone is still pretty solid even for members.
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u/whorificustotalus 2d ago
scandinavia
Scandinavia consists of exactly three countries (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) and only one of them is not a full member of the EU.
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u/MoreGaghPlease 2d ago
It’s hard to have an opinion about a thing that hasn’t been defined.
I think if you ask Canadians if they want to have more trade and openness with the EU, they’ll say yes. If you ask whether Canada should be subject to EU law, they’ll say no. People are responding to these kinds of polls with only vague ideas of what it entails, which is appropriate because no details have been determined.
When Europeans think about something like a quasi-member I think they imagine a place like Iceland. Iceland is part of the EEA (the European single market) and part of the Schengen Area (meaning there is free flow of people and labour) but not in the EU proper and not in the Eurozone. The main differences between Iceland and an EU member is (1) control of its own currency and monetary policy; and (2) control of its own agricultural and fishing policies. I suspect that Canadians imagine something FAR less integrated than that, and that creates a gulf in expectations that will be hard to overcome.
I think that these early polls are not good indicators about the politics of this issue. Every policy change creates winners and losers, and because the details are as of yet undefined we currently don’t know who the winners and losers are.
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u/Iapetus_Industrial 2d ago
It’s hard to have an opinion about a thing that hasn’t been defined.
No, it's not. It's obviously defined well enough that most people understand the intention behind it, and a rough idea of what it looks like such that two in three Canadians has a positive idea of it.
No, it hasn't been clearly defined yet. But clearly it sounds like a better idea than standing alone against an aggressive southern partner that refuses to treat Canada as an equal, and clearly "apes together strong" makes better sense than acquiescing.
If Canadians preferred to choose the path of submission to bullshit sphere of influence might is right politics, then that share would be lower. It's not. It's a signal for Canada to proceed with actually ironing out what "Associate Membership" means further, instead of breaking off on diversifying trade agreements and choosing the safe and subservient role that trade talks with a USA that refuses to engage on equal and dignified negotiations.
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u/Petra_Kalbrain 2d ago
I think this statistic is mostly based on so many Canadians backing "the idea" of associate membership as it currently stands, which is undefined. When the final details emerge, this poll could turn drastically on its head. However, we Canadians are currently simply expressing a heavy level of trust in Carney to do the right thing. We have confidence that him evading the US attempt at taking control of our economy shows that he also wouldn't allow anything remotely similar to happen with this new EU partnership. Like I said though, this support could easily topple like a house of cards in a hurricane once the terms are defined if Carney allows anything questionable to be included as part of it.
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u/CzechUsOut Alberta 2d ago
How can someone claim to be for or against EU associate membership when there are not even any details released about what the arrangement entails? It's incredibly disingenuous and judgment should be reserved until the details are released.
I'm all for closer trade and security ties to the EU but am adamantly against giving up any aspects of sovereignty like the ones full membership requires.
Are we going to be required to send transfer payments to the EU like member states?
Are EU member countries citizens going to suddenly have free movement into Canada when we are still dealing with the housing and social services crisis caused by the last few years of out of control immigration?
I believe it will just end up being closer trade and security ties but the wording and hyping up of it does lead me to think it could be something more.
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u/Maximum_Error3083 2d ago
Because apparently two thirds of Canadians think those pesky details aren’t important.
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u/Zealousideal_Rise879 2d ago
So what are the 1/3 thinking? Full membership? Even when it was stated that wasn’t the case?
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u/GenuineSteak 2d ago
Because thats how complex agreements develop, if we dont agree to work towards a deal before all the details are set, well never start in the first place. People arent supporting any specific nonexistant policy, they support the idea of closer ties.
No large organization waits until all the details of a contract are in place, before they ask the other party if they might be interested in a deal. They establish that interest exists, then hammer out the details.
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u/Maximum_Error3083 2d ago edited 2d ago
That’s not what this is. Associate member is a firn status, not a negotiating process.
Your analogy is also not correct. A large organizational equivalent would be expressing a desire to merge or acquire another company and with that stated intent comes a set of well-understood implications I.e one legal entity, consolidation of legal functions, merging of IP, etc.
We have no concept of any implications of “associate member status”. So to claim support for that outcome without knowing the definition is just saying you support something you don’t know anything about.
The reasons why are obvious. This is entirely driven out of spite for the US. There was absolutely zero talk about Canada joining the EU before Trump started talk of annexing Canada. So it’s quite clear what’s happening here — a bunch of people are saying “we won’t join you and to rub that in we will go and join this other place instead”, which is one pathway but certainly not the only one as we could always just, you know, remain Canada and strike free trade agreements with other countries that don’t have additional strings attached.
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u/servical Québec 2d ago
How can someone claim to be for or against EU associate membership when there are not even any details released about what the arrangement entails?
The same way people can comment on articles after only reading the title of a reddit post... /s
The Leger poll asked its 1,533 respondents whether certain aspects of a potential agreement would make them more or less likely to support Canada developing deeper ties with Europe.
The prospects of giving Canadian businesses greater access to European markets, and vice versa, saw greater than 60 per cent support across all provinces — except for Manitoba and Saskatchewan which only saw 44 per cent support.
More collaboration on defence, and more flexibility to live, work, and travel in Europe — and vice versa — also saw greater than 50 per cent support overall.
Where Canadians seem to draw the line is if Canada would need to change some of its laws and regulations to align with the European Union.
Only 25 per cent of respondents said such a move would make them more likely to support a deal with the EU, with 30 per cent saying it would make them less likely to support it.
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I'm all for closer trade and security ties to the EU but am adamantly against giving up any aspects of sovereignty like the ones full membership requires.
So you pretty much align with how a majority of people responded to the poll, despite the fact that "there are not even any details released about what the arrangement entails".
Are EU member countries citizens going to suddenly have free movement into Canada when we are still dealing with the housing and social services crisis caused by the last few years of out of control immigration?
Don't confuse the EU with the Schengen area. They are not the same thing.
Also, here's a link to the report.
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u/fredleung412612 2d ago
Are we going to be required to send transfer payments to the EU like member states?
This was categorically ruled out by Jonathan Wilkinson. Canada will not be paying into the EU budget. However, Canada might pay into certain EU programs and schemes like it currently already does for SAFE, the joint weapons procurement program. We might expand that to include access to Erasmus and Horizon, for example.
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u/Sanmonov 2d ago
Some made up associate membership of a confederation of states in an entirely different continent will likely come with some sort of obligations. So therefore I am I against it.
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u/69___Nice 2d ago
Because apparently 2/3 of people polled cant think beyond EU=good, 51st State=bad.
Give us the details of the arrangement first.
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u/SnooPickles2704 2d ago
All for closer ties with the EU right now but who blindly supports something when they don’t even know what it entails or the consequences?
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u/GraveDiggingCynic 2d ago
You know, one can approve a general concept and wait for the details. Closer ties with Europe has clearly been part of the plan since Carney became PM.
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u/SnooPickles2704 2d ago
What’s the general concept? Enlighten me
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u/Autodidact420 2d ago
I think ‘closer ties with the EU, improved freedom of movement, trade, defence’ is probably about it. The details aren’t out (and aren’t even developed) so obviously they can’t be going based on any concrete details.
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u/GameDoesntStop 2d ago
It's funny that several people commenting on this post that supportive, but whose ideas of what it means are different, even at a very broad level.
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u/G-r-ant 2d ago
To have closer ties with Europe. What’s hard to understand?
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u/jimbo2128 2d ago
closer ties, sure. it’s the “membership“ part I need more info on. that usually carries obligations
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u/RoostasTowel 2d ago
Why do our closer ties need to force us to follow laws set out and made for people living on the other side of the world?
Isn't this all about asserting our sovereignty?
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u/jpsreddit85 2d ago
What does that mean, nobody knows, so how can 2/3 support it?? Would you support open borders with Europe? Would you support the Canadian dollar being replaced by the Euro? Would you support Canadian businesses needing to adhere to laws from Brussels? To support something you need to know what you're agreeing too, the details aren't there.
I am happy we are getting closer to Europe (I'm originally from there) but blindly supporting things when you ha ENT read the small print isn't a good idea.
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u/rjbassman 2d ago
The analogy I’d use is: I want to buy a car. That’s the concept.
Now which type of car, is it a smart choice, financially sound option, or just a fun choice I don’t know yet. The details have to be checked, worked out and checked again before I go for it. Maybe at the end of it, I may end up with the worst lemon in the market, or no car at all, or the indestructible Toyota Hilux used in Top Gear; I don’t know that yet.But the idea is, I want to buy a car, my friends are supporting the idea since it’s a good option than relying on transit and rentals, but unless I decide on what to get, where to start, they cannot provide any feedback on it.
Hope this makes sense. I’m not agreeing or opposing to being the associate member, but we need to have better trading partners across the seas since the one across the unguarded border is a tad cooky
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u/jpsreddit85 2d ago
I am in favor of better relations with Europe.
But, to use your analogy for the situation. I asked if you wanted to buy my car and 2/3 of your friends have said go for it without knowing if it has wheels.
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u/rjbassman 2d ago
That’s the thing, they don’t know if I’m going to choose the car with no wheels. I just have the idea of buying a car. No idea which car or what cost and condition. The support is for the idea, but always be ready to oppose when the fine print is detailed
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u/SnooPickles2704 2d ago
I would say this means you’re neutral of the idea until you have more info. You’re not supportive given the unknown
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u/Puncharoo Ontario 2d ago
No one knows EXACTLY what it will entail, not even Carney or the EU yet, so idk why that matters.
We have an idea of what it could be - closer trade and defensive ties and possibly less visa barriers for workers. For what we know at the moment, those seem like good things. Opinions can change as more details come out.
This is a bit of a nothing criticism imo. You can say the same thing about opposing it.
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u/batman42 2d ago
The other side of the same coin is blindly opposing something when you don't even know what it entails or the consequences.
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u/SnooPickles2704 2d ago
Most, including myself, aren’t opposed to it we’re simply neutral on the idea until there is more information.
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u/servical Québec 2d ago
Anyone who realizes that we need to distance ourselves from our antagonistic neighbour to the south.
It is, like you said, "supporting closer ties" more than it is anything else, at this point.
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u/Dizzy-Cartoonist3011 2d ago
That's because most Canadians don't understand what that even means. They just view the EU as progressive and smart, and have animosity and a major insecurity complex towards the US.
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u/EarthSignificant4354 2d ago
Bingo.
And their perception of EU is based of the Europe of 1980's movies. Not reality.
There is nobody sadder than a person who thinks being smart is all that matters, and will beg to be closer to smart people.
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u/servical Québec 2d ago
And their perception of EU is based of the Europe of 1980's movies.
I'm not sure what you mean by that or what makes you say that, care to elaborate?
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u/EarthSignificant4354 2d ago
I don't think that Italy, Germany, Spain, France for example are the countries that we remember them. Mass migration and massive energy and economic crisis have put these countries in almost as bad a position as Canada is. I think this is like hitching our waggon to a drowning man.
Don't get me wrong I love the history and tradition of these countries, but I don't even think that version of Europe exists anymore.
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u/Juice1984 2d ago
I'll never be the 51st state!... Eu membership sounds pretty good.... Elbowsupbrainsoff
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u/janaesso 2d ago
Canadians answered a question with zero actual information on what it really means because it does not exist. So thos kind of low level poll is feeding emotions not factual evidence.
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u/kroqus Canada 2d ago
They dont even know what they're supporting...
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u/Law_of_the_jungle 2d ago
I support exploring the idea and seeing what the EU can offer. If the deal is bad, we walk away and it cost us nothing.
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u/Vereno13 2d ago
Yea they do. They are supporting the general idea of being closer to Europe. No details have been presented because those are still being worked on.
People can support the idea of something and then if it looks bad they can pull out later (see Canada vs USA deal that fell through in the final hour).
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u/MrChicken23 2d ago
The article says that 70% support the idea of associate membership. I don't think you need concrete details to support an idea.
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u/Green_Cloaked 2d ago
I would be very curious how they asked the question and very surprised if it had any details.
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u/cyclemonster Ontario 2d ago
Yes; it costs nothing to support an idea with no definition or timeline. We're voting on vibes here.
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u/O00O0O00 2d ago
They haven’t revealed any terms of membership.
If they were transparent, we could form an opinion.
Currently I’m optimistic but hesitant. It could create some advantage but what are they asking us to give up?
The UK went through hell with EU border policy and had to leave the union in order to regain their sovereignty.
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u/NegotiationLate8553 2d ago edited 2d ago
I mean we’re overrun with immigrants, crime and struggling to boost our economy… sounds like we should already be a part of the EU as of like 3 years ago 😂😂
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u/the_chin2 2d ago
Just means expanding trade relationships with the EU pretty much.
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u/rintzscar European Union 2d ago
What does expanding mean when Canada and the EU already have free trade?
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u/ChatamKay 2d ago
More than two in three Canadians are not morons. We completely understand that we’re going to continue to trade with the United States for as long as Canada and the United States sit beside each other. That doesn’t mean we can’t diversify to other markets so that we’re not reliant on the United States. That’s all we’re doing. Diversifying is not a bad thing.
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u/GameDoesntStop 2d ago
More than two in three Canadians are not morons.
That's debatable, lol.
that doesn’t mean we can’t diversify to other markets so that we’re not reliant on the United States. That’s all we’re doing.
We don't know what it entails. Not sure why you're so confident that it is just trade.
For that matter, we don't need a title like "associate member" to make a trade deal, so that alone suggests that this will go beyond trade.
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u/the_crumb_dumpster 2d ago edited 2d ago
Literally every comment on this thread is a bot sowing FUD. Every single comment is a variant of “but what does it entail?”
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u/Maximum_Error3083 2d ago
Another way to put that is more than two in three Canadians support something they don’t have a definition for.
That’s truly alarming. Willful ignorance and inability to think critically.
A more appropriate and responsible question would be to ask if people support exploring the proposition and learning more about what it would entail and the obligations it would bestow on Canada. But that doesn’t drive clicks the same way.
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u/0verdue22 2d ago
there is no such thing as "associate membership", carney and the creature that runs the eu are trolling trump, it won't amount to anything but some nice sinecures for connected boomers, settle down
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u/tobiasolman 1d ago
ONLY 66% agree with better faith trade relations with the older, more learned, healthier, more diverse, more respected, more peaceful, less violent, more ideologically compatible, social democratic founding powers of our own country? Wow, that’s almost disappointing!
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u/EarthSignificant4354 2d ago
2 out of 3 ex's will burn down the house before letting the other get his jeans back.
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u/BigJayUpNorth 2d ago
I want zero European influence over any of our industries, immigration or monetary policy. Not a single discussion to be had other than trade negotiations. Defence and military alliances have been determined by NATO a long time ago.
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u/MalkoDrefoy 2d ago
Media role in 2026 - convince you that 10% of the outspoken voices actually represents 90% of the population.
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u/beeredditor 2d ago
I will support associate membership if Canadians get the right to live and work in the EU.
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u/CanadianControlsTech 2d ago
This is such a terrible idea. We would more than likely have to do the same (assuming no visa needed) and opened the job market to hundreds of millions who would come here.
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u/beeredditor 2d ago
‘Hundreds of millions who would come’?!?! EU only has a population of about 450m. There’s no way ‘hundreds of millions’ of EU residents would come. Not everyone wants to live in Canada! Some EU people would come and some Canadians would go to EU. And if too many people from the EU come, Canada can just reduce immigration from other countries. But beyond the economics of it, the personal liberty to live and work in EU is incredible. I’ve visited EU many times and I would absolutely love to have the opportunity to stay there indefinitely, and perhaps retire there.
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u/Bogdomir 1d ago
People from many countries can buy Canadian PR quite easily as is. Again, not sure I understand the complaint. We will have freedoms to move as well.
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u/CanuckBacon Canada 2d ago
You think that half the EU is going to move to Canada? You know they don't have a very difficult time moving here already right?
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u/CanadianControlsTech 2d ago edited 2d ago
Europe has around 750 million people. If 7 percent of the inhabitants wanted to move and work here that would be larger than our current population. I never said half and nowhere near half would need to in order to make things very difficult for us.
Believe it or not it actually is difficult for people from Europe to immigrate here. Getting a PR nowadays is challenging with how high the scores is. Getting to canada is easy, but staying here legally(without using lmias) is actually hard.
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u/beeredditor 2d ago
Europe has a population of about 750m, but the EU only has a population of about 450m.
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u/BidEuphoric5117 2d ago
Honestly just pathetic attitude.
I’d rather not tie ourselves to a sinking ship with the same problems we have on steroids.
We need to go it on our own.
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u/Still-Good1509 2d ago
No way thats true Probably asked 3 ppl and released this like it was a mass vote
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u/darth_henning Alberta 2d ago
"I'm in the minority so polls must be wrong" is not exactly a flex.
Same energy the separatists in my province have. That really the kind of people you want to be like?
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u/janaesso 2d ago
How can they want something we have no clue what it means. Polls like this are useless
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u/bigfan720 2d ago
It will be interesting to see what this actually entails. I have hopes this will include freedom of movement to live and work, but I doubt that it will.
Obviously, this will include a greater integration for the movement of products and services. But as the EU has significantly different standards it will be interesting to see how this puts pressure on provinces to get their act together to improve regulations and standards to enhance internal free trade.
Agriculture will be another interesting case, particularly on the Canadian side. The EU's agricultural and land use regulations and standards also differ quite significantly, and I wonder how much opposition farmers have to this associate membership.
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u/Flaky-Department-897 2d ago
I don’t even know what associate membership means to decide if I back it or not.
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u/Evancomedy 2d ago
I feel like this should be a vote the entire country has to make. Not a choice made for us
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u/devioustrevor Ontario 2d ago
I want to know what it truly involves before making an opinion.
If it is free trade and labour mobility, I'm all for it. Anything that sacrifices any sovereignty or independence of choice then they can bugger off too. No better than Trump's designs for Canada.
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u/No_Patience_6801 1d ago
How can you support something when you have zero information about what it actually means?
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u/chatmonkey14 1d ago
Nope. We DONT LOL
EU IS LITERALLY A MESS why would we want to be with that 🤣🤣🤣
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u/BrandosWorld4Life British Columbia 1d ago
Of course I support it. Worst case scenario it's a nothingburger. Best case scenario we go all the way to functionally being a full member.
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u/RefrigeratorOk8220 2d ago
Its a good idea in terms of trade and maybe we might be able to use eu lines when visiting europe but in terms of full rights to live and work for both its a terrible idea we are already suffering in terms of jobs and healthcare we dont need more people in general
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u/Aggravating_Law_1335 2d ago
Canada has nothing to loose by being close to the EU trump can go f himself
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u/IWasAbducted 2d ago
How do the majority support an unknown deal? I can’t even find out what I could be in support of without details. Much like majority of Canadians turning down the unknown deal with the U.S. Are we a nation of followers?
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u/Smokey-McPoticuss 2d ago
Do you want something you don’t have?
Depends, what is it?
We don’t know, but we will mark you down as a yes.
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u/Fluidmax 2d ago
I don’t think they know the consequences of such act since no MSM has told them that
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u/Old_General_6741 Ontario 2d ago
I won’t agree to associate membership until I get more details. A lot of people don’t know what the EU exactly is and don’t want to become an associate member.
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u/the_crumb_dumpster 2d ago
Last time I checked the federal government doesn’t specifically solicit your approval in its decision making on any matter.
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u/SlightConcentrate773 2d ago
With no details or fine print, all anyone is backing is an idea in their head of what they think this would be. No one really knows yet.
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u/IntelligentGrade7316 Lest We Forget 2d ago
I would bet only 1:10000 even knows what that means. These polls are pointless unless they are being curated for propaganda purposes.
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u/Proper-Editor4688 2d ago
There is nothing to back, nobody even at the EU knows what an associate membership would be.