Britain's Canadian destiny

Is Canada extraordinarily stupid for failing to see that it must seek ever closer political union with the U.S.? I’d say no. I’d say its current arrangement is quite good. And it isn’t clear to me why the U.K. can’t aspire to a relationship with the United States of Europe that’s akin to Canada’s with the U.S.

Canada’s economy is highly integrated with the much larger economy to its south. Thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement, it has privileged access to the U.S. market, and it grants privileged access to its own in return — a good deal for both sides. At the same time, it has its own distinctive form of government and rules itself as a sovereign nation.

It’s odd that Britain’s commentators aren’t more interested in Canada. Quite possibly, pro-EU and anti-EU politicians agree at least on this: It’s an insufficiently grand ambition. Populist euro skeptics pine for a Britain that means what it used to in the world, whereas pro-EU types believe the U.K. can find a new destiny and a new significance by committing itself fully to the European project and bending that to its will.