In the times of uncertainty sane people should stick together. Canada should consider a closer integration, eventually joining the European Union

[myata]

Two different models of democracy are right before our eyes. Big buck, the number of zeroes rules or the people think, discuss and decide. It's difficult to find an alternative without cutting into the essence. This project makes sense and I think the time is right not only to talk about it but to make real, practical steps.

Your medications should cost a fortune yes of course it makes all the sense for you, we have the right to pump lies about smoking, guns, crazy conspiracies with no accountability. Or great transit, high speed trains, low cost food and medications, low cost or no cost education, great diversity, unified rules, thriving business and culture - a staple people expect it across the continent. This is the realities they can set side by side and examined. Eyes and brains, only two things.

[ironstone]

The EU has worked so well. No issues whatsoever and all member states are thrilled to be under the control of Brussels.😒

[Aristides]

15 minutes ago, ironstone said:

The EU has worked so well. No issues whatsoever and all member states are thrilled to be under the control of Brussels.😒

Bussels is just the seat of the EU  parliament. Brussels doesn't control anything.

Interesting idea. Now that we know the US is not an ally, better the EU than BRICS.

[Dougie93]

ah yes, the latest Canadian delusional fantasy about escaping the Americans at the gates

back to Europe everyone !

ha ha ha ha ha !

it's literally like South Park up in here

 

[ironstone]

45 minutes ago, Aristides said:

Bussels is just the seat of the EU  parliament. Brussels doesn't control anything.

Seems like they have a lot of control over immigration for one thing.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68779387

Under the proposed rules, the EU's 27 countries will be required to either take in thousands of migrants from "frontline" countries, such as Italy, Greece and Spain, or provide extra funding or resources instead.

[Army Guy]

It is always greener on the other side of the fence Europe is not the golden goose you may think it is, they have their problems as well, for years they to have been ruled by the left, we are now seeing more governments that are on the right or even far right, not everything is rainbows and unicorns in Europe...UK left for a reason...

US is our allied, and is doing Canada a huge favor by forcing us to get our sh!t together, and start taking our global responsibilities seriously...

Seeing how we have not responded to the polite poking from past Presidents and other NATO allied nations have been doing for decades...We have taken advantage of them for decades, and enjoyed giving them the finger or just ignoring them when it benefits us....

Now Canadians are pissed they don't have a choice, we have been given a time out...fix it or they will destroy our economy....And instead of listening to what the US is saying coming up with a plan to fix it, we are preparing to do battle with the world's largest economy thumping our chests...think we are going to win this hands down...tit for tat...Your a ****** if you think we are going going to win this, unscathed...we are the Ant  in this battle fighting the elephant... 

[myata]

I visited and worked in Europe and don't care about ideological scares there's all kind of crap for those looking for it. No it's not perfect but here are the staples that you can simply expect across the continent, except maybe in the newest members:

- Great public transit

- Great food and very affordable too. I have a shock every time I go to a mediocre place with an astronomical bill. 10-15 Euro can buy you a great lunch in most places with a drink too.

- High speed trains are common across the continent. 200 km in just over an hour (compare Ottawa to Montreal).

- Great road infrastructure.

- Free mobility across the Union, to work, live and study.

- In many places, low cost or free university education.

- You feed absolutely safe in most places I visited. Not a shred of fear for personal safety.

- Cheap medications even without insurance one can literally not think about the cost.

Yes it's not like a free gift but it's a know how to build societies with more equal and shared quality of life and prosperity. Or we can have trillionaires pumping into our ears while its so great and important for us to pay for their outrageous profits and that's the only way it can be.

Edited January 25 by myata

[Aristides]

2 hours ago, ironstone said:

Seems like they have a lot of control over immigration for one thing.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68779387

Under the proposed rules, the EU's 27 countries will be required to either take in thousands of migrants from "frontline" countries, such as Italy, Greece and Spain, or provide extra funding or resources instead.

On the other hand, an EU passport allows you to live and work anywhere in the union.

[eyeball]

2 hours ago, Army Guy said:

Your a ****** if you think we are going going to win this, unscathed...we are the Ant  in this battle fighting the elephant... 

Don't forget that half the ants down there also think their stupid elephant is off its meds.

[ironstone]

7 minutes ago, Aristides said:

On the other hand, an EU passport allows you to live and work anywhere in the union.

There are pros and cons. https://connectusfund.org/14-european-union-pros-and-cons

International cooperation can be a good thing of course, but when it comes to entities like the EU or the WEF, it seems that it comes with the loss of full sovereignty. I read about Poland and Hungary having issues with the EU with regards to mass immigration. Currently those countries are not going along with the EU policy of mass immigration. And those countries are not experiencing the same problems with Islamic terrorism and immigrant crime waves.

[Army Guy]

1 minute ago, eyeball said:

Don't forget that half the ants down there also think their stupid elephant is off its meds.

That may be the case, but according to the polls many Americans agree with trump they are tired of paying most of the bills, when that money could be making American lives better...yet we Canadians don't care we are entitled to free stuff...and trump is saying free ride is over, buckle up it is time to pay up...

[Army Guy]

53 minutes ago, myata said:

I visited and worked in Europe and don't care about ideological scares there's all kind of crap for those looking for it. No it's not perfect but here are the staples that you can simply expect across the continent, except maybe in the newest members:

- Great public transit

- Great food and very affordable too. I have a shock every time I go to a mediocre place with an astronomical bill. 10-15 Euro can buy you a great lunch in most places with a drink too.

- High speed trains are common across the continent. 200 km in just over an hour (compare Ottawa to Montreal).

- Great road infrastructure.

- Free mobility across the Union, to work, live and study.

- In many places, low cost or free university education.

- You feed absolutely safe in most places I visited. Not a shred of fear for personal safety.

- Cheap medications even without insurance one can literally not think about the cost.

Yes it's not like a free gift but it's a know how to build societies with more equal and shared quality of life and prosperity. Or we can have trillionaires pumping into our ears while its so great and important for us to pay for their outrageous profits and that's the only way it can be.

Lived in Germany for 5 years great place, So what.....but you failed to explain how Canada will benefit from joining the EU...The question i ask is why is Canada not have all these things you mention, by joining are we suddenly going to get all these things....no, we are not 50 years from now your statement will still hold true...

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/region_prices_by_city?itemId=2&region=150

https://schengen.news/food-accommodation-prices-across-popular-eu-destinations-in-2023/

[eyeball]

9 minutes ago, Army Guy said:

...many Americans agree with trump they are tired of paying most of the bills, when that money could be making American lives better...

Sure...Half a trillion bucks in tax cuts to make the top 1% of Americans lives better is way more productive.

9 minutes ago, Army Guy said:

yet we Canadians don't care we are entitled to free stuff...and trump is saying free ride is over, buckle up it is time to pay up...

Apparently he's even going to set up an External Revenue Agency to see we pay our share of their burden.

[Army Guy]

3 minutes ago, eyeball said:

Sure...Half a trillion bucks in tax cuts to make the top 1% of Americans lives better is way more productive.

Apparently he's even going to set up an External Revenue Agency to see we pay our share of their burden.

you don't know that....

Why is that a bad thing....i mean really why is holding Canada accountable for it's lack of action on these issues a bad thing....

[eyeball]

11 minutes ago, Army Guy said:

you don't know that....

Why is that a bad thing....i mean really why is holding Canada accountable for it's lack of action on these issues a bad thing....

[herbie]

43 minutes ago, Army Guy said:

many Americans agree with trump they are tired of paying most of the bills,

mostly because the stupids made them forget that they set these all up so the USA could get it's way and then got so incompetent and obstructionist they forgot how.
Forgot how NAFTA was so they could sell us more stuff without building factories and jobs here.
Forgot the difference between military alliances and Trump Golf Club memerships
Forgot the difference between  trade deficits and subsidies
Forgot how much good tariffs did during the Depression
Forgot America First got Pearl Harbour bombed and dragged them into WW2 late.
Forgot that they were the ones behind setting up the UN
Forgot diplomatic skills that got them UN approval for the Korean War, stripped Britain of its Empire and Ruler of the Seas.
Forgot the Suez Crises where they stopped Britain and France from 'taking back' the Suez Canal.

Oh how easy it is to just close your mind and swallow the lies and misinformation.

[Aristides]

1 hour ago, ironstone said:

There are pros and cons. https://connectusfund.org/14-european-union-pros-and-cons

International cooperation can be a good thing of course, but when it comes to entities like the EU or the WEF, it seems that it comes with the loss of full sovereignty. I read about Poland and Hungary having issues with the EU with regards to mass immigration. Currently those countries are not going along with the EU policy of mass immigration. And those countries are not experiencing the same problems with Islamic terrorism and immigrant crime waves.

Britain was unique in control over immigration as a condition of joining but the dumb twits voted to leave anyway.

[myata]

56 minutes ago, Army Guy said:

Lived in Germany for 5 years great place, So what.....but you failed to explain how Canada will benefit from joining the EU...

All of the above (which we don't have now) escaped you somehow? For the privilege to pay 5 to 10 times more for basic medications (and still about a hundred less than in the States). I rest my case then.

No it's not a given, won't fall from the sky instantly. But it's a design, blueprint know how. If we follow through, intelligently and diligently sure we can have it or close why wouldn't we?

[Michael Hardner]

17 minutes ago, myata said:

All of the above (which we don't have now) escaped you somehow? For the privilege to pay 5 to 10 times more for basic medications (and still about a hundred less than in the States). I rest my case then.

No it's not a given, won't fall from the sky instantly. But it's a design, blueprint know how. If we follow through, intelligently and diligently sure we can have it or close why wouldn't we?

You've touched on something. 

International organizations don't just include the UN, WHO and UNESCO 

 

What forces us to honor patents from foreign powers that are trying to tax us for their intellectual property?  I think a 5-year patent expiry is more than fair for all medications from US owned Pharma companies.

 

We can start with Merck, Pfizer, Johnson and Jonathan, Bristol-Myers squibb...

MAGA folks don't like these anyway because they forced vaccines on the public, and saved their lives...

It would be pretty simple to buy Copycats from offshore pill factories. 

There's your international agreements.

Edited January 25 by Michael Hardner

[Aristides]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jan/25/move-closer-to-europe-not-trump-voters-tell-starmer-in-major-uk-poll

[Army Guy]

1 hour ago, myata said:

All of the above (which we don't have now) escaped you somehow? For the privilege to pay 5 to 10 times more for basic medications (and still about a hundred less than in the States). I rest my case then.

No it's not a given, won't fall from the sky instantly. But it's a design, blueprint know how. If we follow through, intelligently and diligently sure we can have it or close why wouldn't we?

No it has not escaped me, you on the other hand think joining the EU is a magic pill, swallow it and poofd we are going to be in paradise...My question is WHY we do not have these things already, i mean we are a G-7 country, we have money to burn, and yet nothing, this was a Canadian choice or lack of imagination...Joining the EU will not magically get us any of those things....your case is nothing more than wishful thinking...EU thought these things were worth pursuing, Canadians did not or we would have done so...

Your making it sound like the design, blue print, know how, is something of a national secret....EU would be happy to share all of this if we were truly interested, So why have we not gone in this direction....has any Canadian government even dreamt about these items you suggest.....It is not what Canadians want, or need really...Why are you interested in joining the EU but not the US...

[Army Guy]

1 hour ago, Michael Hardner said:

You've touched on something. 

International organizations don't just include the UN, WHO and UNESCO 

 

What forces us to honor patents from foreign powers that are trying to tax us for their intellectual property?  I think a 5-year patent expiry is more than fair for all medications from US owned Pharma companies.

 

We can start with Merck, Pfizer, Johnson and Jonathan, Bristol-Myers squibb...

MAGA folks don't like these anyway because they forced vaccines on the public, and saved their lives...

It would be pretty simple to buy Copycats from offshore pill factories. 

There's your international agreements.

Or we could get agreements to produce our own drugs right here in Canada....like the liberals suggested during covid. 

[Army Guy]

2 hours ago, herbie said:

mostly because the stupids made them forget that they set these all up so the USA could get it's way and then got so incompetent and obstructionist they forgot how.
Forgot how NAFTA was so they could sell us more stuff without building factories and jobs here.
Forgot the difference between military alliances and Trump Golf Club memerships
Forgot the difference between  trade deficits and subsidies
Forgot how much good tariffs did during the Depression
Forgot America First got Pearl Harbour bombed and dragged them into WW2 late.
Forgot that they were the ones behind setting up the UN
Forgot diplomatic skills that got them UN approval for the Korean War, stripped Britain of its Empire and Ruler of the Seas.
Forgot the Suez Crises where they stopped Britain and France from 'taking back' the Suez Canal.

Oh how easy it is to just close your mind and swallow the lies and misinformation.

And over the years most of these countries involved have been paying less forcing America to pay more...

That and most of your examples are sh!t....and have no bearing on the subject at hand...

Well in case you've not been listening Trump has changed his mind, buckle up , butter cup....we now have to pay our own way....free ride is over....

[eyeball]

40 minutes ago, Army Guy said:

And over the years most of these countries involved have been paying less forcing America to pay more...

That and most of your examples are sh!t....and have no bearing on the subject at hand...

Well in case you've not been listening Trump has changed his mind, buckle up , butter cup....we now have to pay our own way....free ride is over....

Okay so now we build a great big dirty cobalt bomb and tell world they better not get any ideas and the last man standing hits the button.

Problem solved.

[paradox34]

Have you been watching what's happening in Europe? The EU is falling apart. It is highly likely that the union won't exist within the year. A failed WEF experiment. People seem to forget that the world map looks the way it does for a reason. Simply put "Birds of a feather".