Of course not. It doesn't even have a common military force (though they are increasingly working together on that front), nor common citizenship, nor even a common currency (the UK, an EU member, still uses the pound).
However, in some respects, the EU is already more united than Canada. Whereas the Canadian federal government not only has no ministry of education, but few agreements with the provinces on common educational, professional and trade standards that are recognized nationwide, the EU has been involved at the EU level for quite some time in establishing such standards, to the degree that even relatively new members such as Poland already have integreted their standards to continental specifications.
Also, whereas an Ontarian who should fall ill in Quebec is not covered unless he has private health incurance, citizens of EU member-states now have EU-wide health insurance cards, whereby states will re-imburse one another if their citizens fall ill across the border in another EU member-state.
I remember reading too that one reason the EU has not established strong free trade ties with Canada has been the combersome process of always having to juggle between the Federal and Provincial governments in various areas of jurisdiction, making the process very frustrating for EU negotiators (a problem the UNCHR faced likewise when dealing with the issue of the Ontario Ministry of Educations violation of the UN Human Rights Charter involving preferential funding for Catholic schools over other religious schools, with the Federal government passing the buck on to the province, and the province saying that the federal government was the signatory to the UNHRC).
While I realise that part of the reason for much of this red tape in Canada has to do with an archaic constitution, should we not revise the constitution to bring it into the twenty-first century so as to allow the federal government ot better integrate educational, health, trade, and other standards nationwide, not only to make movement easier for Canadians themselves, but between Canada and the wider world too?
I'm not much in favour of centralization, but still recognize the need for a more united front none-the-less. And I'm sure that with a little imagination, we cold make Canada more united without needing to centralize poer excessively at the federal level.
Overall though, I find it shameful that in such basic respects as healthcare and education that there is more unity in a young international organization like the EU than there is in a country like Canada that has already celebrated its centenary.
However, in some respects, the EU is already more united than Canada. Whereas the Canadian federal government not only has no ministry of education, but few agreements with the provinces on common educational, professional and trade standards that are recognized nationwide, the EU has been involved at the EU level for quite some time in establishing such standards, to the degree that even relatively new members such as Poland already have integreted their standards to continental specifications.
Also, whereas an Ontarian who should fall ill in Quebec is not covered unless he has private health incurance, citizens of EU member-states now have EU-wide health insurance cards, whereby states will re-imburse one another if their citizens fall ill across the border in another EU member-state.
I remember reading too that one reason the EU has not established strong free trade ties with Canada has been the combersome process of always having to juggle between the Federal and Provincial governments in various areas of jurisdiction, making the process very frustrating for EU negotiators (a problem the UNCHR faced likewise when dealing with the issue of the Ontario Ministry of Educations violation of the UN Human Rights Charter involving preferential funding for Catholic schools over other religious schools, with the Federal government passing the buck on to the province, and the province saying that the federal government was the signatory to the UNHRC).
While I realise that part of the reason for much of this red tape in Canada has to do with an archaic constitution, should we not revise the constitution to bring it into the twenty-first century so as to allow the federal government ot better integrate educational, health, trade, and other standards nationwide, not only to make movement easier for Canadians themselves, but between Canada and the wider world too?
I'm not much in favour of centralization, but still recognize the need for a more united front none-the-less. And I'm sure that with a little imagination, we cold make Canada more united without needing to centralize poer excessively at the federal level.
Overall though, I find it shameful that in such basic respects as healthcare and education that there is more unity in a young international organization like the EU than there is in a country like Canada that has already celebrated its centenary.
