Joint summary of the first Civil Society Forum on Trade and Sustainable Development under the Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) between Canada and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK)

November 20, 2023 Ottawa and London (via videoconference)

The first Civil Society Forum on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) under the Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) between Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) took place on 20 November 2023 via videoconference. Hosted by the UK with simultaneous English-French interpretation, the forum was attended by civil society stakeholders from both Parties and independently moderated by a representative of the UK’s TSD Domestic Advisory Group.

The Governments delivered a joint summary of the second meeting of the UK-Canada Trade and Sustainable Development Specialised Committee (Specialised Committee) on 8 March 2023 for the benefit of the stakeholders present.

During the Dialogue on Trade and Environment, both Parties outlined areas of co-operation on carbon pricing and carbon markets, including via the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge (GCPC). The UK Government gave updates on its progress towards ratification of the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and covered the UK and Canada’s joint action on establishing the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Action Alliance. Discussions were then held on the steps taken by Parties to protect biodiversity and sustainably manage forests, where the Canadian Government highlighted the ambitious targets of its new 2030 Biodiversity Strategy and the stringency of its forest management policy in terms of sustainability. Participants concluded the Dialogue session by recognising the global significance of carbon leakage. The UK and Canadian Governments cited mutual engagement on this issue at the recent Specialised Committee meeting and the UK noted that it had carried out public consultations on measures to mitigate carbon leakage risk in 2023.

The Dialogue on Trade and Labour was an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the UK and Canada’s implementation. UK stakeholders raised recent legislative developments in the UK and their compatibility with international commitments, including the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act and Retained EU Law Act. The UK Government outlined that the legislation on minimum service levels is compatible with the UK’s international obligations and achieves a balance between the ability of union members to take strike action and protecting the rights and freedoms of the wider public and society. On Retained EU Law, the UK Government noted that the reforms did not seek to remove rights, but to remove unnecessary bureaucracy in the way those rights operate. The UK Government also stated that it remains committed to maintaining high levels of protection for labour and social standards. Canadian stakeholders underlined the importance of social dialogue and tripartism to uphold labour rights and foster balanced economic development and social progress.

Stakeholders raised artificial intelligence as a field of growing interest given the potential impact on labour standards and the UK Government drew attention to the AI Safety Summit hosted by the UK in November 2023.

The independent moderator concluded this forum by thanking all attendees for their participation and valuable contributions. Officials from the UK and Canadian Governments likewise thanked civil society for their constructive engagement and remarked on the significance of this meeting as the inaugural Civil Society Forum between the two countries.