When asked if Canada wanted to participate in the initial joint procurement round, which would require quickly agreeing on participation rules with the EU, Champagne responded, “I would think so … I think we want to be in the first wave, there’s no doubt.”
“The defense procurement imperative is front and center,” he added, pointing to Canada’s critical minerals and icebreakers as potential contributions to the procurement scheme.
Trade ties
Questioned about whether Canada is disappointed in the U.K. and the EU for signing less-than-ideal trade deals with the U.S. to avoid harsh tariffs, Champagne commented, “everyone has to look at their own strategic interest.”
“When I look at other countries, each of us started from a different base,” he noted. “When you examine the different deals that have been struck … I think each of us found a way forward to restore a bit of certainty.”
Despite the likelihood of continued volatility and uncertainty, global trade is in a “a more stable place now,” Champagne remarked.
The EU is striving for closer connections with the Pacific-centric trade group, the CPTPP, which includes countries like Canada, Japan, Australia, and Mexico. This group is emerging as an alternative for rules-based trade, distancing itself from the stalled World Trade Organization.
Champagne expressed his desire to “strengthen and expand” the CPTPP trading bloc, describing it as “a nice alternative” and “foundational for having a rule-based trading system in that part of the world.”
“I see a lot of benefit, particularly as it seems more likely than ever that there won’t be many more … multilateral trading agreements of the same scope and scale,” Champagne stated.
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