CALGARY — As global politics becomes increasingly defined by rivalry between superpowers, middle powers like Canada face a choice: accept subservience, or build alliances strong enough to withstand the coming instability.The idea of CANZUK, an alliance of trade, mobility, and defence integration between Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, is something that has been talked about for a while.James Skinner, the founder of the advocacy group CANZUK International, says this alliance would greatly benefit the people of all four nations.Skinner, who has lived and worked in all four CANZUK countries, talks about his own frustration about inter-mobility between what are arguably the four most similar nations in the world.He talks about a time at Gatwick Airport where he saw EU citizens "going on through" but then saw "Canadians having to queue up for two hours."Skinner said he thought to himself in that moment that "we've got this the wrong way around.".The recent news that Canadians travelling to the Britain will now require an Electronic Travel Authorisation is yet another testament to how freedom of movement would strengthen the bonds of these already close countries.There are those who would argue that these nations already share such close ties, but as we can see with the latest news from the UK, if we take these close bonds for granted, they can easily be whittled away by apathy.Freedom of movement would not only facilitate travel but also allow for the intermobility of professionals between four of the most educated countries in the world. It would mean that young Canadian graduates would have the breadth of these four nations to use as their job market rather than being limited to just Canada, and likewise for the other three nations.Skinner talked about the idea of mutual skills recognition between the four countries, so for example, if you're licensed to be an electrician in New Zealand, you would not have to recertify if you moved to Canada."It's crazy that you can practice as a doctor for ten years in the UK, but as soon as you come to Canada, you have to redo your entire certification," Skinner said.This inter-mobility of workers would greatly boost the labour productivity of the CANZUK nations, as worker shortages can be aided with labour from these countries rather than such a massive reliance on temporary foreign workers..From a broader security and economic perspective it is becoming increasingly obvious that forming any meaningful relationship with the United States is next to impossible under the current administration.Unless Canada is willing to accept a highly asymmetrical relationship with the world's largest economy, we will continue to be a target for Trump.While alliances with our typical allies of France, Germany, etc. may prove to counteract this Americanization to a certain extent, a CANZUK alliance would move the dial in a far more meaningful way.This alliance is not only necessary to improve mobility between these nations but also to provide an alternative global alliance in a world that is becoming increasingly fractured and Balkanized.In this hostile world, a CANZUK military alliance would not only span the globe but would rank third in total military expenditure, only surpassed by the United States and China, according to Skinner.A combined CANZUK bloc would be the world’s third largest economy, control the largest Exclusive Economic Zone on earth, and have one of the highest HDIs in the world.Alone, we struggle to be heard in a world of loud hegemonies, but united, CANZUK could act as a third pillar to the increasing power of the United States and China.A CANZUK alliance would serve to project Western values and interests in a far more substantial way than any of the four nations can currently do independently. It would also consolidate the regional power of all four nations into one globally spanning bloc..The idea of CANZUK is not just nostalgia for an idealized past but a pragmatic alliance in an increasingly chaotic world.These four nations already share an extremely close history and a family-like partnership, but CANZUK would take this a step further to make a global statement of unity and alignment.Those who worry about a usurpation of national sovereignty should not worry either, as Skinner lays out, a CANZUK alliance would take lessons from the EU, not try and replicate it."CANZUK would not be like the European Union," Skinner reiterated. "(The EU has) a common currency, a common banking system, they have a common parliament in Brussels.... we don't want to go down that road again," Skinner said, referring to Brexit.This idea is no longer some fringe movement propagated solely by empire-nostalgists but by leaders across the four nations, including, most recently, Canadian Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre..It's not just support from opposition figures but movement in the federal government as well, as, according to Skinner, they are "having conversations that are going very well" with the current Liberal government.However, Skinner says that, unsurprisingly, progress with the government is slow and any major global event distracts government attention away from CANZUK."Hopefully by the middle to the end of the year, but that is just an absolute guesstimate at this point," Skinner said when asked about possible timelines for progress on the next steps towards CANZUK.He went on to say that the full adoption would take "a few years."For Canada, the slow progress is not just surprising; it's disappointing.When the Prime Minister talks about creating a new form of multilateralism and a coalition of the "middle powers," the simplest and most widely popular form of this would be a CANZUK alliance.In an age where once close allies throw each other under the bus and simmering conflicts get blown into era-defining wars, the need for an alliance with what is, for all intents and purposes, Canada's closest family should be self-evident.However, the question is not why a CANZUK alliance would be beneficial. The economic, cultural, and strategic case for it is clear.It's why has it taken so long for this obvious partnership to enter the political mainstream?
