Why Canadians are ready for closer ties with Europe
People the BBC spoke to are excited by the prospect of working and studying in the EU, a suggestion Carney made this week.
**Why Canadians are ready for closer ties with Europe**
Miriam Levin-Gold welcomes Prime Minister Mark Carney’s suggestion that Canadians could live and work in the European Union under proposed closer ties with the trade bloc.
“I think that's great for young people to explore different parts of the world and work in different places and have different experiences,” the commuter told the BBC in Toronto.
Canadians woke up Thursday morning to news of Carney’s speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where he welcomed the EU’s ambition for Canada to become its first “associate member” and called for closer co-operation on defence and energy.
“We should deepen our people-to-people ties, allowing our youth to live, work and study where they want on either side of the Atlantic,” the PM said.
Carney told MEPs that Canada and Europe were “stronger together” in the face of “geopolitical rupture”.
But before Canadians begin making plans, “associate member” status does not currently exist in the EU and could take years to put in place, since all 27 EU member states would need to approve such an arrangement.
Even so, the BBC found people excited by the possibility of working and studying in the EU as word of Carney’s speech spread.
Miriam Levin-Gold is excited about potentially greater opportunities for young Canadians to be able to explore the EU
Alex Nash, from Montreal, said closer ties would remove the barriers of work visas and permits.
“It would certainly be really nice for that to be easier, more convenient and to be able to visit more easily,” she said.
Canadian social media has been buzzing about the issue.
One person in a Facebook group, A Canadian Outlook, said they would love the chance for their grandchildren to study at European universities for better rates. Another woman said it would make it much easier for the home she already owns in France.
“Snow birds are going to love it,” another person said, referring to Canadians who travel to warmer places for the winter.
The reactions suggest frustration in Canada over tensions in its relationship with the US.
Growing up in Canada, David Jardine saw the US as not only a neighbour, but also a centre of culture and cool.
“I remember wanting to go and visit New York all the time,” he told the BBC after finishing his overnight shift, not far from one of Toronto’s most iconic buildings, the CN tower.
But he has become much more doubtful in light of US President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada and his rhetoric about annexation.
“I would say I think not only does it make more sense to associate closely with Europe, it's a place that I would rather be associating with given the way things are these days,” he said.
Maggie Stainton, who manages the local pub C'est What in Toronto’s St Lawrence Market district, became emotional as she spoke about Canada’s strained ties with the US.
“It’s too volatile with the United States,” she said. “I feel that there's some stability in Europe.”
For decades, America has been a cultural centre of gravity that is hard to escape, with many Canadian actors working in Hollywood and Canadian radio stations playing US music.
“I think we're forced to feel more American simply by the influences that we have,” Stainton added.
“However, I think deep down, I definitely I lean towards feeling more European in my ideas and ideals.”
Many others the BBC spoke to in the centre of Canada’s biggest city echoed those views.
Carney, who previously led Canada and Britain’s central banks, was elected on a promise that he would not only take a tough line against Trump, but also widen Canada’s economic horizons.
Up to 72% of Canadian exports go to the US, and the continuing trade tensions have pushed Ottawa to look for closer ties with other countries.
The EU, in many respects, appears to be a natural fit. More than half of Canada’s population reported European origins, according to the last census, taken in 2021.
A recent Abacus Data survey carried out before Carney’s speech found that 80% of Canadians say the country should deepen strategic cooperation with the EU, and more than half feel closer to Europe than America.
Still, details of Carney’s proposed plans for stronger ties with the EU are limited.
Two opposition Conservative MPs have urged him to explain what he and the bloc intend to pursue.
“It could be a concrete, meaningful proposal. Or it could be just words and vibes,” said Adam Chambers, MP for Simcoe North in Ontario, in an interview with the BBC on the eve of Carney’s speech on Thursday.
Chambers referred to the existing Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) between the EU and Canada, noting that it still needs ratification by several EU countries.
And while deeper ties with Europe would be welcomed by many Canadians, there remains a feeling that the country’s relationship with the US - however strained - must not fall apart.
“I grew up here. I've been here 40 years in Canada, in Ontario, and America's always been the neighbour,” says Ahmed Khalil.
He said building bridges with Europe makes sense: “I think it brings in more money for Canada and more culture, brings Europeans over, probably solves a lot of problems.”
But Canada should not overlook its southern neighbour, Khalil added.
“I think both are equally valuable to us,” he said. “Both are equally valid.”