Despite everything that’s going on in the world right now, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he expects to conclude a new trade deal with the United Kingdom by the end of this year.
Speaking at an event hosted by The Financial Times newspaper, Trudeau said a deal between Canada and the U.K. should be relatively straightforward to manage even as the U.K. prepares to exit the European Union.
Until December 31, Britain remains a member of the European Union, and is still bound by the continent's sweeping free-trade deal with Canada on goods and services, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA.
Trudeau said he and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson believe the two countries are ready to have a new deal done before January 1, 2021. Trudeau said he spoke with Johnson about the new trade deal earlier this week.
Trudeau also highlighted that Canada renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), signed a trade pact with Asian countries, and negotiated the Canada-EU trade agreement over the past several years.
"We know how to negotiate trade deals. The U.K. hasn't had to negotiate trade deals in the past few decades," Trudeau said at the conference.
He added the British government wants to show that it can negotiate free trade deals and calls Canada's "a really easy one" to move on. He noted that parts of the trade deal with Europe could just be rolled into a new deal with the U.K. once it is no longer part of the European bloc.
"I'm very hopeful that it's going to get done, but that really is up to the U.K. government because we're there for it. I just hope they can come around to it," said Trudeau.
