News for residents of the “11th province”: Canadians abroad.
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EU Opens Its Door to Canada
Europe wants Canada to become the European Union's first associate member. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the offer public on Wednesday with PM Mark Carney sitting in the European Parliament, and then everyone clapped the chamber gave him a standing ovation.
There’s no membership card being sent to the printer just yet, however. The EU's treaties don’t make any allowance for an “associate-member” category, and Carney said that Canada wanted a unique alliance, not full membership. The two sides are now trying to figure out how to moving past a simple trade deal and into closer work on defence, the Arctic, energy, critical minerals and supply chains.
The part that might be most interesting to readers of the Voyageur might be the emphasis that Carney is putting on “people to people” ties in the deal. Those will almost certainly matter to Canadians living in Europe, but no one has suggested there will be new rights to live, work or travel in the bloc yet.
Read more: Canada's National Observer / The Guardian
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A photo from the old country:
Private Money Coming to Canada's Airports
Private investors could soon run Canada's four biggest airports. Ottawa is trying to figure out if long-term operating deals make sense for Toronto Pearson, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver while it would retain ownership of the land and assets.
The plan could raise tens of billions of dollars, and the windfall would go into infrastructure, including regional airports, while private operators are expected to bring capital and airport expertise. Canada's major airports are currently run by non-profit authorities that lease federal land, pay Ottawa rent and pay for upgrades through borrowing and user fees. The proposed model looks more like what’s done in Australia, where governments own airports but lease their operation to investors.
Britain and Australia created economic regulators after airport fees rose under private operation, but Canada still has no similar regulator. It is unlikely that this deal, should it be finalized, will result in lower costs for Canadian travelers.
Read more: The Globe and Mail / Global News