If Canada wants to become more European, it may help to start with the continent’s most beloved pastime: soccer.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his British counterpart Andy Burnham watched Everton beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 on Wednesday. They were pictured pumping their fists, hugging, and donning scarves in Everton’s colors — blue and white.
It was also a useful piece of diplomatic theater.
Everton is not a particularly flashy team. The Toffees haven’t won a major trophy for 31 years, typically finish in the lower half of the Premier League, and are consistently overshadowed by their local rival, Liverpool. On the other hand, Evertonians are among the most committed and passionate fans in the sport.
Carney, who spent seven years as Bank of England governor, previously made his Everton support public while he lived in the country. So too has Burnham, a native of northwest England, whose charisma and down-to-earth everyman image was key in elevating him to prime minister in July.
While Burnham, a longtime season-ticket holder, used to sit in the stands at Hill Dickinson Stadium, security requirements meant he and Carney had to watch from the corporate seats.
However, that may have been an ideal setting as they also held a bilateral meeting at the stadium amid Canada’s push to build its diplomatic relationships away from the US.
Carney’s trip to the soccer came just a few hours after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen backed proposals for Canada to become an associate member of the European Union.
This would be an entirely new title, but could come with a range of benefits, from visa-free travel to access to the European single market, with its free movement of goods.
Closer trade ties to the EU — the world’s second-largest economy by GDP — would be a boon for Canada as its relationship with the US falters.
The two countries have been locked in tariff disputes for months, which has even seen Donald Trump rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”
Canada this month imposed new duties of up to 50% on hundreds of US imports, including cheese, honey, and aluminum foil, in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.
While tensions are hot, it would be extremely challenging for Canada to extricate itself from US trade and pivot to Europe. More than three-quarters of its exports go south of the border.
Late on Wednesday, Trump threatened to retaliate against the EU if it follows through on the proposal to make Canada an associate member, calling the prospect “laughable.”
“If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,” Trump told reporters.
While the UK has been outside the EU since Brexit in 2020, Burnham has said he wants the country to be “bolder” in working closer with the bloc. Rejoining may be a politically fraught move, but closer trade relations aren’t off the table.
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