If I’m Canada I look for a trade agreement rather than associate membership - no reason to put your eggs in one basket.

As an American, I continue to be sad and tired that our current president is somehow allowed to unilaterally destroy a very successful and thriving trade partner via arbitrary tariffs that have already been ruled illegal and while it doesn’t make a damned bit of difference I’m sorry about it.

We have that trade agreement (CETA). Negotiated by the Trudeau gov't a long time ago.

Notably many member states (incl. France) have not fully ratified it. The majority of its benefits are in place but not all.

Which doesn't bode well for the actual on the ground reality of any "associate member status."

I expect it will be mostly symbolic/diplomatic.

> I continue to be sad

Don't be. Trump is a necessary and welcome wake up call. We Canadians needed Trump's shock of reality.

The truth is that, for more than a century, the main trait of being Canadian was simply not being American and not trusting Americans.

In 1775 George Washington ordered the invasion of southern Quebec and we resisted. After the American revolution we received an huge influx of Loyalists, the Americans that didn't want to be part of the U.S.; we say the American Revolution created 2 countries: yours and ours. In 1812 Americans raised war against us, as a continuation of the Napoleonic wars. Although we were still a British colony, we fought back, invaded Washington DC and set the White House on fire. In 1890, the McKinley Tariffs were meant to subjugate us, the same way Trump wants to do now [1]. They backfired, made us stronger.

But in the 80's the Reagan-Mulroney trade agreement fooled us. We became too reliant, friendly and confident to the Americans. It was a dangerous illusion. The Comanche, Apache and Navajo have learned too late that you can't trust Americans. Luckily for us, Trump reminded us that lesson on time, before it would be too late.

[1] https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-u-s-tariff-act-of...

funnily, they already have a trade agreement, though not fully ratified.