Bill to Implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Moved second reading of Bill C-13, An Act to implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

She said: Honourable Senators, I rise today because I have the honour of sponsoring one of the two trade bills before us in this chamber. Though different, both of these bills are very important in diversifying our trade with the world. Bill C-13 simply, but importantly, is the last step required to formalize the U.K.’s ascension to an existing trade agreement, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, CPTPP.

The full title of Bill C-13 is An Act to implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

In an era marked by economic turbulence, geopolitical uncertainty and rapid technological change, the relationship between Canada and the U.K. is not simply historic; it is strategic, forward-looking and full of promise for both countries.

Before we get into the specifics, let’s talk about how we got here. Bill C-13 was introduced in the House of Commons on October 21, 2025. It was referred to committee on December 11, and consideration in the House of Commons International Trade Committee was completed on February 10, 2026. The committee met three times to study Bill C-13, including the clause-by-clause meeting. And now the bill is here, in our chamber.

So let’s talk about the CPTPP. The CPTPP is one of Canada’s largest and most ambitious trade agreements. The 11 founding members of the agreement are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

The CPTPP membership represents approximately 14% of global GDP and over half a billion consumers. Since the CPTPP entered into force in 2018, total merchandise trade between Canada and all CPTPP parties has increased by 38.3%.

The CPTPP covers virtually all aspects of trade and investment, from trade in goods and services to non-tariff barriers and intellectual property rights, and 99% of tariff lines among CPTPP parties will be duty-free once the agreement is fully implemented, creating significant opportunities for Canadian exporters across all sectors of our economy.

In fact, as Canada begins the eighth year since the CPTPP entered into force, the results speak for themselves. Canadian beef exports to CPTPP markets have surged by 122.1%, rising from $338 million in 2018 to $751 million in 2024. This is not incremental progress; this is the result of Canadian producers gaining tariff-eliminated, rules-based access to Indo-Pacific opportunities that were not available pre-CPTPP.

Consider Japan, the largest economy within the CPTPP. Over the past five years alone, Canada’s beef exports to Japan grew by 18.6%, a clear demonstration of our products’ competitiveness in the global marketplace. Japan is also the largest CPTPP market for Canadian pork, with exports valued at $1.5 billion in 2024. These successes are not abstract. They represent jobs in Canadian communities, a strengthened rural economy and international recognition of the quality of Canadian agriculture.

But these benefits are not limited to the meat sector. As someone whose background is in the seafood industry, I see the benefits that the CPTPP has provided to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Through this agreement, tariffs have been eliminated for many of our signature seafood exports, including shrimp, snow crab, lobster, clams and halibut, products that carry the pride of our harvesters and the craftsmanship of our processors.

With tariff barriers coming down across Indo-Pacific markets, our seafood now lands on distant tables more competitively than ever before, helping our small boats and our processing plants keep their lights on, their crews employed and their communities strong.

Now let’s talk about the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom was the first economy to be approved by all members to join the CPTPP trade agreement. Once the U.K.’s application was agreed to by the consensus of all trade agreement members, they must each ratify the U.K.’s accession through their respective legislative processes, hence why we are discussing Bill C-13 today.

Canada and the U.K. share a rich history through our institutions, culture and deep-rooted people-to-people connections. But the value of this partnership in 2026 and beyond lies not only in our shared past but in how we are forging a joint future across trade and investment, critical technologies, security and defence, and global leadership.

The prime ministers of Canada and the U.K. have met on several occasions over the past number of months to underscore the importance of this relationship, highlighting various opportunities to strengthen our partnership, including on trade.

As the U.K. is our third-largest trading partner, with $60.9 billion in 2024, and our second-largest investment partner, with $97 billion in 2024, Canada is always looking for new avenues to improve our bilateral trading relationship.

As an example of our current exporting relationship, we can look to gold. The U.K. is a global hub for gold transshipment, and in 2024, gold accounted for $22.3 billion of Canada’s $28.3 billion in merchandise exports to the U.K.

Given some ongoing discussions that need to be had, the Government of Canada created the UK-Canada Economic and Trade Working Group to address existing market access barriers, expand existing arrangements into new areas, such as digital trade, and explore co-operation in the development of critical minerals and sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Honourable colleagues, ratifying the U.K.’s accession protocol to the CPTPP will reinforce our economic ties, encourage business connections and strengthen job-supporting commerce between Canadian and British firms, including in areas that are increasingly tied to sectors shaping the future: digital, AI, fintech, life sciences, clean energy and defence-related innovation.

It will also support the government’s Export Diversification Strategy and its overarching goal of achieving 50% more overseas exports by 2035.

New CPTPP entrants mean more opportunities for our businesses to trade and to invest with fewer barriers, leading to lower costs, higher competitiveness and increased innovation. This ultimately helps Canada’s businesses in diversifying their supply chains and ensuring that their products are more price‑competitive.

This is especially important at a time when the global trading system is facing fundamental and unprecedented challenges. Expanding CPTPP membership strengthens our connections to alternative supply chains beyond North America. This enhances our economic resilience in the long term by ensuring that not all of our eggs for our economic success are in one basket. It opens doors for growth while boosting shared prosperity in a world that increasingly depends on collaboration across borders.

Canada is a trading nation. We must ensure we do not place all our economic bets on a single region or a narrow set of channels. We must continue strengthening relationships with reliable partners, providing our businesses with stable, predictable and transparent trading environments.

This is why, coupled with existing comprehensive access under the Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement, which is the bilateral in-force free trade agreement known as the TCA, the U.K.’s accession will develop even more pathways for Canadian businesses into the U.K. market.

A Canadian company exporting to the U.K. may choose to claim preferential access for their product under whichever agreement offers the best outcome. Depending on the product and circumstances, one trade agreement may offer better market access than the other or vice versa.

While 99% of bilateral trade is duty-free under the Trade Continuity Agreement, through the U.K.’s accession to the CPTPP, Canada secured new benefits for our agricultural and agri-food sectors. This includes additional duty-free volumes into the U.K. for pork and beef, as well as unlimited access for sweetcorn.

The U.K. is Canada’s third-largest market for sweetcorn, but exports have been limited, as duty-free volumes are constrained by a quota under the Canada-U.K. Trade Continuity Agreement. This improvement will support sweetcorn producers, which is of particular interest for the province of Quebec.

In addition, the CPTPP Rules of Origin, which determine how goods are accorded preferential tariff treatment, will allow more of Canada’s agricultural export interests to be eligible for preferential access to the U.K., including for meat, processed foods, sugar-containing products and pet food.

The U.K. is already Canada’s ninth-largest agri-food and seafood export market, and the U.K.’s accession will help our agri-food and seafood exporters to build on that partnership, making trade more transparent, predictable and accessible for Canadian agribusinesses.

Under the CPTPP, for the first time, Canadians seeking to establish or manage a business in the U.K. now have more predictable access for stays up to one year. Consider a Canadian tech start-up looking to expand into Europe. With the U.K. now part of the CPTPP, that start-up can send its team to London to set up operations, train staff and build partnerships without the bureaucratic hurdles that often slow down international expansion.

Government procurement represents one of the most significant and reliable markets available to Canadian businesses pursuing opportunities in the U.K. Governments are consistently among the largest purchasers of goods and services in any country, procuring everything from office equipment and IT services to major infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, transit systems and public facilities. These purchases occur year after year, regardless of broader economic cycles, making government clients uniquely stable and predictable.

The ratification of the U.K.’s Accession Protocol will provide improved access to procurement opportunities at all levels of the U.K. government, including regional and local. For Canadian firms, procurement commitments can translate into contracts and jobs. For procurement opportunities covered under the CPTPP, procuring entities must abide by three key principles: non‑discrimination, transparency and fairness.

These rules are not just there to benefit large corporations. Small- and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, across Canada also stand to benefit from greater access to information, predictable processes and the stable business environment that is supported by the CPTPP’s obligations on government procurement. Canadian companies seeking to diversify their activities can look forward to opportunities in the U.K. evaluated to be worth over C$460 billion annually.

These opportunities are not only economically significant; they also support Canada’s broader trade diversification strategy. At a time when global economic uncertainty is prompting countries to rethink supply chains and reduce reliance on single markets, the U.K.’s participation in the CPTPP offers Canadian businesses a stable and familiar partner with shared values and strong commercial ties.

As a founding party to the CPTPP and a strong advocate for open trade, Canada’s ratification will demonstrate its commitment to expanding and deepening economic ties across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. It will ensure that we are aligned with our CPTPP partners, who — with the exception of one, Mexico — have already brought the U.K.’s Accession Protocol into force in their respective jurisdictions. And Mexico is also in the process of ratifying this agreement. This will help to validate the CPTPP’s collective ability to launch, execute and conclude accession processes. It will maintain the integrity and unity of the bloc, while making it more attractive to other potential economies in the future through the addition of another major G7 economy to the agreement.

Following the conclusion of the U.K.’s accession process, CPTPP parties launched accession negotiations with Costa Rica, a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, with a proven ability to negotiate high‑standard free trade agreements, and are working toward their completion. In November of last year, CPTPP parties also established an Accession Working Group for Uruguay, and the work with this partner is actively progressing. The more accessions we successfully complete, the more enticing CPTPP membership becomes.

By ratifying the U.K.’s accession, Canada reinforces the agreement’s role as a forward-looking, rules-based trade framework that adapts to a changing global environment. It sends a strong message that CPTPP members stand together in supporting new partners who share their values and economic ambitions. In a world of rising economic uncertainties and shifting alliances, expanding CPTPP membership strengthens multilateralism and helps build a more stable, prosperous regional order. It shows that like-minded countries remain committed to cooperation, high standards and inclusive growth.

As a senator from Newfoundland and Labrador, I bring to this debate a perspective shaped by uniquely close and enduring ties to the United Kingdom. Colleagues will remember that, in 2024, we celebrated 75 years since Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation, a milestone that invited us to not only celebrate our place in Canada but also reflect on the deep historical ties that predate it.

Among the most moving moments of those commemorations was the repatriation of an unknown First World War soldier. I was honoured to be part of the delegation that accompanied those remains home to Canada, a solemn reminder that our shared history with the U.K. is written not only in treaties and trade but in sacrifice, service and kinship.

It is from this place of history, relationships and shared values that I welcome the United Kingdom’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. For Newfoundland and Labrador and for Canada, this is not merely an economic decision but a continuation of a long-standing partnership grounded in trust and mutual respect.

Now is the time when we must stand together as Canadians against the economic and political threats that continue to test our resilience. We must work with reliable partners to diversify our trade so that our businesses and consumers can continue to prosper for years to come.

The CPTPP is more than just a trade deal. It is a platform for like-minded partners to align our economic interests and a core component to our trade diversification agenda. Implementing the U.K.’s accession will extend concrete, commercially meaningful benefits for Canadians.

In this pivotal moment, strengthening a high‑standard, rules‑based partnership with a trusted ally is not only prudent but a forward-looking step that supports Canada’s long-term economic security. To this end, I urge all my honourable colleagues to vote to send Bill C-13 to committee and thereafter to enable Canada to bring the U.K.’s accession protocol to the CPTPP into force.

Thank you.

Senator, would you take a question?

Yes.

Thank you very much. This bill is very important in this time of shift, change and trade diversity. Could you share with us, Senator Petten, the government’s consultation process with Canadians on the U.K.’s accession to the CPTPP? When did it begin in relation to the U.K.’s accession timeline within the trade bloc?

I understand that from March 12 to April 27, 2021, Global Affairs Canada held public consultation on priorities related to the U.K.’s accession to the CPTPP and potential Canada-U.K. free trade negotiations alongside the targeted discussions. They also met with provinces, territories, Indigenous groups and advisers. This included virtual meetings and sector-specific round tables, particularly in agriculture, natural resources and clean technology. They were involved in regular updates. I think about 118 written submissions were received.

All the input gathered, both formally and informally, was shared with the negotiators, who helped inform future discussions with the U.K.

Senator M. Deacon, do you have a supplementary question?

Thank you very much.

You mentioned great diversity and great submissions. What were the top two or three issues the government took away from the consultations? How will those help guide Canadian business if and when this bill passes?

They are supporting the U.K. trade agreement, and Canada’s accession emphasized, as I indicated, the strong economic and historical ties and the opportunities around that. However, I think the importance of it was around stable trade relations while advocating for enforcing labour and environmental standards and inclusive provisions benefiting, as I indicated, small- and medium-sized enterprises — or SMEs — and women, Indigenous Peoples and those in racialized communities.

Yes.

Thank you for the question. I can relate with respect to one of the things I know, seafood, as well as some of the Indigenous things, particularly in Labrador and Northern Canada and what we have been doing there. This trade bill provides opportunities for more trade and to create jobs for Indigenous Peoples. It has been doing that through some of those businesses that have been supported through and working with the opportunities of trading, particularly with the U.K.

For example, in Newfoundland and Labrador, which would be part of where you’re talking about, the northern cod are returning. Part of what is happening — even with the northern cod, the biggest market — is that what they are doing and producing now is going to the U.K., into the fish and chips market.

Of course, we had not been dealing with cod because it was not there to deal with. However, with the moratorium being lifted, even though the industry is a shadow of what it was, those opportunities are there to perform the trade. I think they have been included in some of those.

Thank you again. Of course, this bill is about international trade. With some of the minerals, I mentioned the opportunities afforded, particularly under the goal and what has been happening with other things, but with critical minerals, we are able to look at those opportunities for trading with the U.K., as well as other partners involved in the CPTPP because there are 11 countries included in some of that as well.

(On motion of Senator Housakos, debate adjourned.)