Canada FTA — UK Trade and Business Commission

The UK and Canada launched negotiations on a free trade agreement in March 2022. The UK Trade and Business Commission took evidence on the UK’s trade discussions with Canada in its meeting on Thursday 8th September 2022.

There are some sticking points affecting the conclusion of trade negotiations between the UK and Canada. While a rollover deal has been in place following the UK’s exit from the EU, forging a new trading agreement is proving more challenging. One of the biggest obstacles to a new free trade agreement between the UK and Canada is whether the UK will be willing to accept imports of hormone treated beef, as Canada would like us to. However, this question appears to have been temporarily put to rest with the UK’s accession to the CPTPP.

Commission Session on UK-Canada Trade

On the 8th September 2022 the UK Trade and Business Commission took evidence on prospective UK free trade agreements with Canada and the USA.

This session was chaired by Hilary Benn MP

Evidence in Brief

The Commission took evidence from:

Goldy Hyder, President and CEO, Business Council of Canada
Andrew Casey, CEO, BIOTECanada
Colin Barker, Senior Trade Commissioner, Canadian High Commission

Witnesses expressed hope that a trade deal could be agreed soon and with few hurdles. There was an acknowledgement of the importance of having solid dispute resolution procedures, but Andrew Casey also suggested that having a trade deal in place might be the best way to resolve disputes.

Goldy Hyder perhaps offered the greatest number of notes of caution throughout the hearing and did express his concerns at the politicisation of issues to the detriment of cooperation. However, all participants struck an optimistic note and shared details of what areas they felt were really ripe for cooperation between the UK and EU.

The overall sentiment was one of recognition that the UK and Canada were commencing from a position where they already have a lot in common; the more this can be developed, the better.

Read the full report here.