

As a Canadian it warms my heart to see the “future EU members” label but most days, when i am done with my morning coffee, i like things presented under a more realistic perspective.
EU should aim for a strong core with countries of “special interest” having partial membership benefits and treatment. GB, Canada, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary(yes i know!) should all have this special interest status with a measure of integration and a measure of autonomy. Eventually add Australia if it makes mutual sense. Currently Canada can’t lower it standards to US regulations “void” and we will benefit from increased mobility of goods and people : with EU : we should set most regulation close enough to EU rules to be welcomed there. Build further affinity from increased commercial and military integration. Keep our own monetary policy: devaluation of our currency is a needed buffer sometimes.
This is an hum… interesting read… While i agree that asking questions on the price tag and return on our investment is always a good idea, this is not it. Also a civilian probably won’t understand the different aspect of the price tag : upgrading our infrastructure and capability to services such boat, specialized design… The last few months-years are showing us that peaceful negotiating has its limits when our neighbours have the ability to abuse our sovereignty. Don’t make it easy on them. Ask Ukraine how it feels. Do you trust Trump or his successor not to extort the ressources he need in the Canadian North if he’s not just taking it altogether? I would love a world where we don’t spend any money on the military and use those resources on social development instead but in the real world the North is our and we need to have the best (military) logistics to move around our own sea.