Canada is negotiating to be a part of a major European exchange program that could give Canadians more opportunities to study, work and live in Europe.
At last month’s Canada-EU summit and in his 2026 budget, Prime Minister Mark Carney reaffirmed the government’s interest in expanding Canada’s participation in Erasmus+, Europe’s internationally recognized student and skills exchange.
“Through this program, a Canadian student can pursue their studies in Barcelona just as easily as they could at McGill,” Carney said at the summit in Montreal.
An expert in European integration says the prospect is complex and likely to be expensive — but that it would come with major benefits for Canada’s youth and deepening ties with the EU.
Through Erasmus+, students in the EU and select other countries have direct access to funding, institutions and grants that help cover travel and living costs when participating in exchange programs between institutions.
Students are also exempted from the fees for tuition, registration and exams that a Canadian exchange student might typically pay to study in Europe.
But Erasmus+ isn’t just an opportunity for students. Its benefits extend to people starting their careers across a wide range of fields, including trainees, apprentices, youth workers and academic staff.
“An apprentice welder in Manitoba could bring or complete their placement with an employer in Italy, bringing new skills home,” Carney said.
Many Canadian universities are already partnered with Erasmus+ through independent agreements, but they’re limited mostly to exchange opportunities for master’s students and faculty members.
Further participation in Erasmus+ could expand funding opportunities for undergraduates as well as youth, training and sport exchanges — all of which are available to EU members and the program’s current six associate countries.
How would this work?
Oliver Schmidtke, a University of Victoria professor specializing in European integration, called Canada’s proposed involvement in Erasmus+ “a lot of ambition.”
“Education is largely a provincial thing in Canada, so how this would land and how the federal government would interact with provincial governments in trying to regulate this … that’s a whole range of questions that are open,” Schmidtke said.
And buying into an international exchange program isn’t exactly cheap. The United Kingdom is rejoining in January and will pay over $1 billion for its first year.
Canadian universities would have to “pay substantial amounts to be eligible for the full array of services” and provide housing supports and staff to accommodate the Erasmus+ students coming to Canada, Schmidtke said.
The provinces and European Union would also have to iron out credit transfers for participating students — no simple feat.
All current Erasmus+ members and associated third countries follow the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), simplifying the academic credit transfer process.
When the United Kingdom rejoins, it will be using its own system, but has set up a national framework for how credits will be transferred.
In Canada, even credit transfers between institutions within the same province aren’t consistent.
This work would come at time of “a lot of financial stress at Canadian universities,” Schmidtke said.
He said some of that comes from a reduced number of international students in Canada in recent years — who generally pay higher tuition rates directly to the institutions.
Carney has indicated that the expected costs of joining Erasmus+ won’t stop Canada from pursuing that goal. Joining was one of the most concrete examples Carney gave when he announced in September that Canada was pursuing an “alliance for the future” with the EU.
“We don’t view this as paying for something,” Carney said in Montreal about the overall costs of closer EU integration. “We view this as coming together.”
Despite these potential complications, Schmidtke believes integration with Erasmus+ will be an “invaluable opportunity” for Canadian students.
“Canada is a bit behind the curve when it comes to internationalizing student experiences, mobility and so forth,” Schmidtke said. “So the Erasmus+ program could be a great incentive to expand the international experience of many Canadian students.”
Some Canadian universities already involved
The University of Victoria, University of Waterloo, McMaster University, Simon Fraser University, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia and the University of Calgary told CBC News they would be open to exploring participation — or further participation, as some already partner with Erasmus+ — as more details become available.
Western University president Alan Shepard said international engagement is a key part of the student experience at Western, and the university was excited about the opportunities Erasmus+ could create.
“We encourage our students to see themselves as global citizens through opportunities to study, conduct research and gain hands-on experience around the world,” Shepard said.
In his speech to the European Parliament, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadian membership in the EU’s student exchange program, Erasmus+, would give students an opportunity to ‘broaden their horizons’ and build lasting ties to sustain the alliance between Canada and Europe.
In late October, Université Laval rector Sophie D’Amours and Sorbonne University president Nathalie Drach-Temam penned an open letter in La Presse encouraging the government to integrate Canadian universities into the program.
“The Sorbonne is the oldest French-language university in Europe. Université Laval is the oldest French-language university in the Americas. Our traditions are strong, as is our capacity to help address the challenges of tomorrow,” the letter said.
By joining forces, we will be even better placed to promote the common good that universities represent for society.”
Source: www.cbc.ca
