The more things change, the more they stay the same.
As we continue to reshape Canada’s identity and business dealings on the world stage, Prime Minister Mark Carney is in France, where he is attempting to strengthen ties with the European Union on defence, trade and more.
As the trip approached, I saw people online raising alarms about losing our sovereignty and how it could change the nature of Canada itself, about how merging with a larger population and economy would be giving away our future.
Except, none of that would ever happen.
The world’s largest economy, the United States, has been hammering us about unfair trade practices and about Canada getting a free ride when it comes to defence spending.
There have been no closer friends and allies over the past century than Canada and the U.S., but when they started making demands and trying to tell us who we could and couldn’t do business with, we said “no deal” and walked away.
The European Union collectively represents the second largest economy, with nearly unlimited potential for trade, cultural and intellectual exchange and mutual defence.
I am not worried at all about losing ourselves in a new partnership. If big brother can’t make us do what he wants, then spending more time with our more friendly, distant cousins should be just fine.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
