UK and Canada Form Trade Group Ahead of G7 Summit

- UK, Canada launch joint trade working group. - Focus: digital trade, AI, enhancing economic ties. According to a joint UK-Canada statement issued on June 15, 2025, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Canada, and during this visit, the UK and Canadian Prime Ministers announced a new joint trade working group designed to deepen their economic relationship. This initiative was launched ahead of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, where, the statement noted, global economic resilience and international security are key discussion points. The same June 15 statement detailed that the working group will address market access barriers and expand cooperation in areas such as digital trade, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure; additionally, it plans to deliver its recommendations within six months. Canada also plans to introduce legislation in autumn 2025, which, according to the statement, will ratify the United Kingdom's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a trade pact including 11 Asia-Pacific nations. The UK became a provisional member of the CPTPP in 2024, but final ratification is still required from all member nations, including Canada. In addition to trade discussions, the statement of June 15 further reported that the leaders announced expanded defense and security cooperation, which includes support for Ukraine. They also launched the Joint Canada-UK Common Good Cyber Fund, a fund intended to counter digital transnational repression, and announced a joint investment in biomanufacturing to support research and development. These developments are significant as the G7 summit, according to the June 15 joint statement, focuses on global economic resilience, technological innovation, and international security. The statement also mentioned that discussions on June 15 delved into strengthening collaboration on AI safety between Canadian and UK institutes. Separately, on June 16, 2025, the Conference Board of Canada reported that the UK accounted for 3.6% of Canada’s exports and 1.2% of its imports in 2024. Consequently, the new initiatives aim to broaden and diversify these figures.