More than two in three Canadians back EU associate membership: poll

OTTAWA — Canadians overwhelmingly support Canada becoming an associate member of the European Union, a new poll suggests — even though the details of that arrangement haven’t been finalized. The online poll by Leger, conducted between Sept. 21, suggests 70 per cent of Canadians support the idea, 18 per cent are unsure and 13 per cent oppose it.

But the poll suggests Canadians draw the line at changing some laws in order to align with Europe. In a speech to the European Parliament last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was opening the door to negotiating terms for Canada to become the first associate member of the European Union. A day later, Prime Minister Mark Carney told the EU Parliament that Canada welcomes the goal, though exactly what that entails is still to be determined.

“We welcome this ambition — polling shows an overwhelming majority of Canadians support much closer ties,” Carney said in his speech. The Leger poll appears to support Carney’s assertion. Support was strongest among seniors across the country with nearly 80 per cent support.

Respondents in Quebec and Ontario also seem to be on board, with more than 70 per cent of respondents in those provinces saying they support it. Andrew Enns, Leger’s executive vice-president for Central Canada, said other of his firm’s polls have shown seniors are preoccupied with concerns about the United States, and react strongly to threats and comments by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Canadian sovereignty.

“I think you see that age cohort really sees this as an opportunity to put proof to the conversation around diversifying Canada’s reliance and shifting it away from America,” Enns told The Canadian Press. But the poll suggested Manitobans and people in Saskatchewan aren’t as keen on the idea — or don’t know enough about it. More than a quarter of respondents in those provinces said they opposed joining the EU as an associate member, while another quarter didn’t know or were unsure.

Enns said the lack of support in Manitoba and Saskatchewan may be a byproduct of Canadians in those provinces having not travelled to Europe as much as people in Ontario or Quebec. “I’m not sure if there’s higher opposition in those provinces as opposed to there’s a bit more of a question around whether or not this is really a good thing,” Enns said.