Prime Minister Mark Carney with Ursula von der Leyen, left, President of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, President of the European Council for the Canada-EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, in June.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Nearly three in five Canadians support the idea of Canada joining the European Union, a new poll suggests.
A Nanos Research survey conducted for The Globe and Mail shows that 57 per cent of respondents would either support (28 per cent) or somewhat support (29 per cent) Canada becoming a full member of the EU.
The results also show that 32 per cent of respondents were either opposed or somewhat opposed to the idea, while 12 per cent were unsure.
The results follow similar findings from a Spark Advocacy poll conducted in March, suggesting that one in four respondents thought joining the EU would be a good idea, with an additional 58 per cent saying the idea should be considered further.
Opinion: Canada would win some and lose some if it joined the EU
“Canadians are re-examining their place in the world,” pollster Nik Nanos said. “We’re at a moment in time where Canadians want to have free trade with the U.S., and they want to have closer relations with the European Union.
“For Canadians in an ideal world, they’d have both.”
The survey results come at a time of heightened tension between Canada and the U.S., particularly over a wave of new American tariffs on Canadian imports. U.S. President Donald Trump has at times threatened to use “economic force” to make Canada the 51st state. Canada’s trading relationship with the U.S. is currently the subject of negotiations about the future of the North American free-trade agreement, which also includes Mexico.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his government is focused on expanding trade with other countries, a point he made this week at a groundbreaking ceremony for a port expansion project near Montreal.
The Nanos poll results reflect concerns that many Canadians are feeling about relations with the U.S. and Canada’s alignment with European ideals, according to international affairs professor Roland Paris with the University of Ottawa.
“When the United States is experiencing such political turmoil and its President is threatening Canadian sovereignty, European countries that are long-standing partners look a lot more appealing,” he said.
Benefits of joining the EU include economic integration with a large market and subscribing to the union’s human-rights commitments, Prof. Paris said. The poll also found that 84 per cent of respondents believe strengthening economic ties is the best path forward for relations between Canada and the EU.
The idea of Canada joining the EU has simmered for a while on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Data Dive with Nik Nanos: Canada must embrace a culture of ambition and risk-taking
At the NATO summit in the Netherlands last June, Mr. Carney said he wants a closer partnership with the continent, but he does not intend for Canada to join the EU. At a European conference in Berlin last month, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the EU is attracting more candidate countries, including Iceland, and suggested “maybe Canada at some point.”
Even if Canada joined the EU, Prof. Paris said it would take at least a decade to bring Canada’s laws and regulations in alignment with Europe’s. In most cases, Canadian laws would also become subordinate to the EU’s under full membership.
“It could be difficult to get unanimity in the European Union,” he said.
Nanos conducted the survey by reaching out on landlines and cellphones, as well as online, between March 31 and April 4. The poll surveyed a random group of 1,099 Canadians aged 18 and older. The margin of error is plus-or-minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The poll results reflect “a snapshot of public sentiment,” Prof. Paris added, while Canada has already been pursuing avenues to strengthen its relationship with the EU.
“I see the future of Canada and the European Union as one of an ever-closer relationship,” he said. “That doesn’t necessarily require full membership in order to benefit from many of the advantages of that co-operation.”