Canada will be 'a living hell' if it becomes associate member of EU, claims MEP - National Post

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a speech in the hemicycle at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on September 17, 2026. Photo by JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN /AFP via Getty ImagesArticle contentA notoriously divisive Member of European Parliament (MEP) said that becoming an associate member of the EU would turn Canada “into a living hell” and asked “is Mark Carney stupid enough to fall for it?” during a debate on Thursday.

Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, ahead of the EU-Canada summit in Montreal next week, German MEP Christine Anderson accused the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of looking to wipe out industry, censor speech and “flood” Canada with “even more illegal migrants.”

“Ursula von der Leyen wants to lure Canada into an associate membership of the EU,” she said. “Apparently (she) is no longer content with merely terrorizing the people in the EU with her insane regulations, bureaucracy, and cronyism.”

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Arguing that von der Leyen’s motivations aren’t related to trade because CETA (an existing free-trade agreement between Canada and the EU) is already in place, Anderson said: “She is looking for yet another people whose industry she can wipe out, whose prosperity she can destroy, whose speech she can censor, and whose countries she can flood with even more illegal migrants, thus turning Canada into a living hell.

“The question is: Is Mark Carney stupid enough to fall for it, or will he do right by the Canadian people and tell Ursula von der Leyen to bugger off?”

Anderson suggested that if Canada were to become an associate member of the EU, “maybe a new freedom convoy would then be in order,” referring to the 2022 protests that were organized to oppose COVID restrictions.

++ Canada, It's a Trap! ++Ursula #vonderLeyen wants to lure Canada into an associate EU membership. Will Mark Carney do right and tell von der Leyen to bugger off? If he won't, then the Canadian people will have to fix it, and maybe a new freedom convoy would then be in order. pic.twitter.com/53Ej7AClaq

Later on in the debate, European Parliament Vice President Younous Omarjee reminded speakers to show respect to Carney during their comments. “You can of course criticize the gentleman, but some comments are not acceptable,” he said.