Safe European Home: it's not just a song

Mark Carney famously loved the Clash. So, at least once when he was Governor of the Bank of England, did our Prime Minister ever hum along to the British punk band’s song, Safe European Home?

The tune is about the band’s first big trip to Jamaica, which wasn’t everything they had cracked it up to be. On the chorus, Joe Strummer sings: “Sitting here in my safe European home, don’t wanna go back there again.”

Strummer was referring to Jamaica, and he didn’t mince words about the Caribbean country, either, calling it “the place where every white face is an invitation to robbery.” Back the Clash hustled to their safe European home.

Is that what it is to Mark Carney, as well? A safe European home? Certainly seems that way, these days. There Carney was at the European Parliament, this week, basking in standing ovations, and declaring that we Canadians “are not fair-weather allies. We do not pursue zero-sum deals. We hold common values, for which we have always fought, and in whose defence we must always remain vigilant.”

That was a reference to Donald Trump’s America, of course, which Carney did not name. But the hundreds of European Parliamentarians present in Strasbourg certainly knew who our PM was talking about, and they were properly enthused. Just the day before, in her State of the Union address, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen proclaimed: “I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU!” That won her an ovation, too, and a hug from Carney.

Still in the grip of WEF-rabies, Canadian Conservatives were apoplectic about all this illicit Euro-love. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre emerged from his caucus-protection program to warn decisions about Canada’s future “must not be made in Washington, Beijing, or Brussels” and that “Canada must be independent and sovereign. Period.” Other conservatives, small and large “C,” were less diplomatic, likening a EU associate membership to Deep State Covid, but worse.

Honestly, folks: is a closer relationship with Europe - one that is fully debated in Parliament, as Poilievre appropriately demanded - such a very bad thing? We think not. Five reasons.

[To read more, subscribe here]