Standing Committee on International Trade

Comité permanent du commerce international

For immediate release

Ottawa, December 10, 2020 -

Today, the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade presented, in the House of Commons, an interim report entitled Trade Between Canada and the United Kingdom: A Potential Transitional Trade Agreement-Interim Report.

Three of the four recommendations in the interim report relate specifically to the Canada–United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA), in respect of which negotiations were concluded on 21 November 2020 while the Committee’s study was ongoing. One recommendation relates to providing parliamentarians with certain information as Canada’s future trade agreements are negotiated.

“Among the European Union countries, the United Kingdom was Canada’s largest merchandise and services trade partner in 2019,” said the Honourable Judy Sgro, P.C., M.P., Chair of the Committee. “This reality underscores the importance of ensuring that Canada maintains, and ideally builds on, this strong bilateral trading relationship after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union in January 2021.”

Ms. Sgro concluded: “The Committee’s interim report contains information and recommendations that will be helpful to the Government of Canada as the TCA is implemented, and any subsequent agreement is negotiated. Certainly, the Committee hopes that the Government will give serious and timely consideration to its interim report.” The Committee’s report can be accessed on its website .