Good morning. As the U.S. turns on its allies, the idea of a new transatlantic pact is gaining momentum \u2013 more on that below, along with spring floods and Apple\u2019s new CEO. But first:<\/p>\n
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Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n A majority of Canadians are into joining the EU.MARTIN BERTRAND\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n PoliticsBrussels is calling<\/p>\n Prime Minister Mark Carney and Finnish President Alexander Stubb are tight. The two world leaders text almost daily. They\u2019re both hockey fans, so when Stubb was in Ottawa for bilateral talks<\/a> last week, Carney brought him to a practice skate with the city\u2019s PWHL team. A few weeks before that, they connected in Britain, going for a run together through London\u2019s Hyde Park. That\u2019s where Stubb floated the idea of formalizing the relationship: What if Canada were to join the European Union? It\u2019d be a \u201cmarriage made in heaven,\u201d he said recently.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not the only politician entertaining the prospect. France\u2019s Foreign Minister, Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot, mulled it over at the Europe 2026 conference in Berlin last month; the audience broke into applause. Joachim Streit, a German member of the European parliament, has spent close to a year pushing for our inclusion in the EU. Former German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel suggested it back in January of 2025 \u2013 right after Donald Trump\u2019s return to the Oval Office \u2013 claiming that Canada is \u201cmore European than some European member states anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s a less diplomatic spin on a line Carney himself likes to use<\/a> about how Canada is \u201cthe most European of the non-European countries.\u201d And Canadians are definitely open to making things official \u2013 a new Nanos poll<\/a> for The Globe and Mail found nearly 60 per cent of respondents want to become part of the union. So senior parliamentary reporter Steven Chase dug into the fine print to see what it would actually take for Canada to join<\/a> the EU.<\/p>\n First obstacle: the Atlantic<\/p>\n Before you start plotting a relocation to Paris, let\u2019s get this bit out of the way: Canadians won\u2019t be scoring a EU passport any time soon. To start, there\u2019s the geographical hurdle. Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union limits membership to \u201cany European state,\u201d and while Canada could try to argue that being European is more of a state of mind, it\u2019s hard to overlook the ocean between us.<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Carney and Stubb at the Ottawa Charge’s practice session last week.Spencer Colby\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n But even if we persuaded all 27 EU members to amend the treaty and let us in, we\u2019d be in store for a mountain of paperwork. Canada would have to abide by the acquis communautaire, a collection of EU treaties, regulations, court rulings and legislation that runs upwards of 170,000 pages. Those obligations affect everything from labour, environmental and agricultural rules to technical standards for vehicle headlights. Adopting the laws \u2013 which tend to fall under provincial jurisdiction in Canada \u2013 could take at least a decade.<\/p>\n Joining the EU would also necessitate ditching all our existing trade deals, including the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. On the one hand: More than 70 per cent of Canada\u2019s exports go to the U.S., and under the USMCA, most of them cross the border tariff-free. On the other: EU countries combine for the world\u2019s second-largest economy, making up a \u20ac18-trillion market. On the third, extremely pessimistic hand: Who knows how much longer we\u2019ll even have the USMCA? Last week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called it a \u201cvery bad deal\u201d that could be allowed to lapse this summer.<\/p>\n Enter: Eurovision<\/p>\n Carney\u2019s official position is that Canada won\u2019t pursue EU membership \u2013 but he has done his level best to deepen ties to Brussels. Over the past year, he inked a new security pact<\/a> with the EU and bought into its<\/a> \u20ac150-billion military purchasing fund. He\u2019s set to expand Canada\u2019s trade deal with Europe, as well, and is spearheading talks to build<\/a> a massive, Trump-proof trading bloc that would include the EU and a dozen Asia-Pacific countries. <\/p>\n And then there\u2019s Eurovision. Tucked inside Carney\u2019s first federal budget, between funding for the CBC and domestic tourism, was a pledge to explore participation in the flashy song contest. It\u2019s too late to take part in the 2026 competition, but next year remains on the table \u2013 and maybe Canada will field a musical contender so powerful, so undeniably compelling, that the EU shrugs off the whole acquis communautaire and throws open its membership doors. I vote we send Celine Dion.<\/p>\n The Shot\u2018I take responsibility for that decision.\u2019Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street in London yesterday.Alastair Grant\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n British Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered yet another explanation \u2013 and another apology \u2013 for picking Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, even after the long-time friend of Jeffrey Epstein failed security vetting. Read more here about the increasing pressure on Starmer to resign<\/a>.<\/p>\n The WrapWhat else we\u2019re following<\/p>\n At home: Communities across the country are contending with spring floods<\/a>, as states of emergency have been declared in parts of Manitoba and Ontario. <\/p>\n Abroad: In the third cabinet departure of President Donald Trump\u2019s second term, U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned amid<\/a> a misconduct investigation.<\/p>\n Law: The trial started for a former high-ranking Mountie accused of foreign interference<\/a> on behalf of China.<\/p>\n Lawsuit: FBI Director Kash Patel is suing The Atlantic<\/a> for US$250-million over an article that included allegations of \u201cconspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences.\u201d <\/p>\n Trips: Canadian airfares rose last month<\/a> for the first time in two years, with surging jet-fuel costs driving the ticket hikes.<\/p>\n
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