Actually, I'd say the Euro is still a valid comparison, but there are several cases of "a joint bank account with someone that makes more money than you, but also spends more money than you. You'd never really have the power to control your bottom line" rather than just one.
Germany (83m), France (64m), Italy (59m) and Spain (47m) dwarf many of the smaller members like Austria (8.3m), Ireland (4.3m), Denmark (5.4m). The next largest is Poland with 33m, but their economy is much weaker than the big 4. Even the combined Benelux is 27.5m and influence pales in comparison with the Big 4, especially if the big nations team up.
Why do the smaller nations agree to walk with giants and risk being trampled? Buying power. A strong currency goes a long way. Canada would get the same benefits by merging currency with the US and Mexico. Lets not forget that the US is far and away Canada's largest trading partner, and with Oil and Gas being what keeps Canada in the black, trading in the same currency would be a definite plus. Even for those that don't like the idea of "getting in bed with the Americans," a unified currency would likely increase buying power of all three nations and offer favorable rates against the other global currencies, namely the Euro, Pound and Yen.
Mexico is pretty obvious... its an emerging economy and with a common currency with two of its trading partners, they would really take off.
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