Earlier this morning, the President of the European Commission said that Europe wants to open the door for Canada to become an ‘associate member’ of the E.C. – a first-of-its-kind partnership. However, Canada isn’t ready to commit, and many perceive that the feds don’t want to totally shut out the United States. As you might recall, a weekend headline from the Wall Street Journal said that Canada was exploring potential membership, a rumour that Canada's Prime Minister denied. Instead, Mark Carney said they wanted to forge a unique alliance. Now, we don’t really know what an ‘associate membership’ entails, mainly because it’s a brand-new title. Is this an offer that Canada should accept? Jeremy Kinsman is a former Canadian Ambassador to the European Union. He says he can’t see Canada hopping on board, but adds that this offer from the E.U. is a ‘symbolically significant’ proposal. He joins Kristy Cameron on Ottawa Now.

<p>Earlier this morning, the President of the European Commission said that Europe wants to open the door for Canada to become an &lsquo;associate member&rsquo; of the E.C. &ndash; a first-of-its-kind partnership. However, Canada isn&rsquo;t ready to commit, and many perceive that the feds don&rsquo;t want to totally shut out the United States. As you might recall, a weekend headline from the Wall Street Journal said that Canada was exploring potential membership, a rumour that Canada's Prime Minister denied. Instead, Mark Carney said they wanted to forge a unique alliance. Now, we don&rsquo;t really know what an &lsquo;associate membership&rsquo; entails, mainly because it&rsquo;s a brand-new title. Is this an offer that Canada should accept? Jeremy Kinsman is a former Canadian Ambassador to the European Union. He says he can&rsquo;t see Canada hopping on board, but adds that this offer from the E.U. is a &lsquo;symbolically significant&rsquo; proposal. He joins Kristy Cameron on Ottawa Now.</p>