British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa on Sunday ahead of the G7 summit in Alberta, announcing new initiatives to deepen trade and

defense ties between the two nations.

In a joint statement, the leaders revealed plans to establish a UK-Canada Economic and Trade Working Group. This new body will focus on enhancing market access, expanding cooperation in digital trade, and fostering collaboration on critical minerals and artificial intelligence. The group is expected to deliver its recommendations within six months.

Prime Minister Carney has been actively engaging allies to diversify Canada's trade partnerships, particularly as the country grapples with U.S. tariffs on key sectors such as steel, aluminum, and automobiles.

“We will establish a new structured UK-Canada Economic and Trade Working Group to deepen our existing trading relationship further,” the leaders stated.

Despite the strong historical ties, the UK accounted for just 3.6% of Canadian exports and 1.2% of imports in 2024, according to the Conference Board of Canada. Canadian exports to the UK are primarily gold and energy products.

The statement also confirmed that Canada will introduce legislation later this year to ratify the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a trade pact involving 11 countries across the Asia-Pacific region. While the UK secured access to nine of these markets last year, it still requires ratification from Canada and Mexico.

In addition to trade, the two countries agreed to broaden defense cooperation, with an emphasis on continued support for Ukraine. Photo by Lance Cpl. Christopher J. Gallagher, Wikimedia commons.