If Mark Carney loves Europe so much, he should quit his day job and go live there. No doubt the Europeans would love to have him. After all, he is a political rock star across the Atlantic, thanks to his barely concealed attacks upon the United States and its president, Donald Trump.
He is back in Europe again this week — his ninth visit as prime minister — for the G7 meetings, though the U.S.-bashing will be toned down with Trump in attendance. But it plays well to those European leaders, who have had to endure Trump’s bull-in-the-china-shop approach to everything from tariffs to the future of NATO.
It also plays well here at home. Canadians are still boycotting their southern neighbours after the rhetoric about making Canada some strange 51st state. Such anger is justified, given the long-standing close relationship between our countries. But Carney has milked that sense of betrayal to the max, using it to resurrect the Liberals’ fortunes. The “elbows up” mantra helped the Grits retain power, later managing to manufacture a majority government thanks to some backroom dealing in poaching MPs from other parties.
But enough is enough. This European dalliance is reaching farcical levels. A poll a few months ago even indicated a majority of Canadians support exploring EU membership. Are we crazy? For one thing, we are in North America. For another, the economy in Europe is as moribund as our own.
But, if folk are silly enough to countenance such an idea, consider this: joining the EU entails freedom of movement. So millions of Europeans, from Brussels to Budapest, could legally emigrate here, perhaps seeing Canada as a transit stop on their way to America.
So no, we will not be joining the EU. But Carney might. There was serious chatter about him landing a top European job a decade ago as time ran out on his Bank of England governorship. Then Brexit happened, and any thought of someone from Britain getting a plum role in Europe evaporated. Maybe that is why Carney cannot get over the Brits voting to leave the EU — something he brought up again recently when pouring scorn on Alberta’s separatists.
So when Carney calls it a day as prime minister, do not for a second think he will happily retire to Edmonton and spend his days cheering his beloved Oilers. Nope, he will likely be taking up some top job in Europe, where he will be given a hero’s welcome, along with a reissued EU passport courtesy of his faint Irish heritage.
Does it matter? Yes, it matters a great deal. Despite the bad feelings between the U.S. and ourselves, we should be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, as Carney seems driven to do. We are tied at the geographical and economic hip to our neighbours. Despite all Carney’s grandiose chatter about Europe and Canada forging a partnership of medium powers, it is North America that still holds our future. And that means doing business with the United States.
