canada doesn't gain anything from a strengthened economic relationship with the european union. it is neither a likely market for canadian goods, nor a likely supplier of goods to canada. canada is further from europe than africa or russia and has higher labour standards than both. canadian goods exported from canada to the eu will be prohibitively expensive and unable to compete with russian or african  goods, and european goods imported to canada from the eu will likewise never be competitive with american goods, even with high tariffs.

a basic application of ricardan theory would suggest almost no level of trade between canada and the eu makes economic sense, which is why almost none exists.

rather, it would appear to speak more to the cultural affinity of mark carney and his family, including his wife, than to the legitimate economic needs of canada as a country.

canada would be better off seeking a stronger trade relationship with mercosur and building stronger relationships with other south and central american countries. ricardan theory would suggest a stronger trading relationship with these countries would be mutually beneficial to both of us, as we can each specialize in the production of goods that the others cannot.

again, the point of putting carney in power was that he was supposed to be an economic egghead, but he's turned out to be a kind of populist dumbard, instead - a centrist version of nigel farage that puts his personal cultural preferences ahead of the country's economic well-being, and is repeatedly making mistakes that you'd expect a prime minister educated in economics would not make. he is essentially adopting the theory promoted by the don coyote school of economics, that tariffs make us rich and create jobs, which has been repeatedly rejected by repeated failed application. the point of getting an education is to learn from the mistakes of the past. carney seems to have learned nothing from the past.

what's going on in canada right now is not some brave show of independence. that is nonsense. canada is in actuality undergoing a kind of canexit for purely cultural and populist reasons out of an emotional kneejerk reaction that is going to severely harm it for years to come.