The Canada Model and Post-Brexit EU Trade Relations

Reviews / Votes

"This is a timely and insightful book that examines the post-Brexit EU-UK relationship from a uniquely Canadian perspective, highlighting the strategic relevance of the 'Canada model' within a broader transatlantic realignment. An indispensable resource for policymakers and practitioners on both sides of the Atlantic."

Mark Camilleri, co-founder and President, Canada EU Trade and Investment Association (CEUTIA)

"This is an interesting book which appears at a time when the international trade system is undergoing profound changes. Presenting the 'Canada model' of trade with the EU as a possible alternative for Britain in the post-Brexit era, the book contains chapters by a range of leading scholars across multiple disciplines including EU law and politics, as well as in international trade and economics, and international political economy more broadly. It should be a valuable resource for all those interested in Brexit, and in transatlantic trade relations in the post-Brexit and the Trump era."

Grainne De Burca, European University Institute (EUI), Italy

"Featuring chapters by leading Canadian experts as well as European contributors, this volume unravels the complex trade and economic linkages between the EU, the UK, and Canada in the wake of Brexit, providing a wealth of data, multi-faceted approaches, and innovative thinking. The analysis is insightful and instructive as relations between these three partners now take on more importance than ever."

Joan DeBardeleben, Carleton University, Canada

"How did Canada strengthen its relationship with the EU and deal with Brexit and Trump 1.0 simultaneously? How did it balance domestic politics with international economic relations? This book provides in-depth legal, political and economic analysis from eminent scholars of what the Canada Model entails and how it achieves this balance. The EU Canada-Comprehensive Trade Agreement manages not only tariffs, but trade-impacting regulations, subnational government powers and government procurement policies without sacrificing national sovereignty or forcing Canada to reduce trade with the UK and other countries. The Canada Model could therefore govern trade, investment, defence and other relationships with partners in a post-American world. Minilateral and regional deals could be the stepping stones to further international cooperation. This collection demonstrates how legal agreements provide this balance, how public opinion remained open to international trade and agreements that respected national sovereignty, even among Brexiters, and how economic trade adjusted to the transaction costs of the legal environment for business. It is an excellent resource for those looking forward to global governance after the end of US leadership, based in evidence of the biggest disruption of the last decade."

Shawn Donnelly, University of Twente, The Netherlands

"This timely collection is edited by two of Canada's foremost scholars on the European Union and transatlantic relations. It contains important research which illuminates the prospects for Canada-EU-UK collaboration, which is more crucial than ever in uncertain times. The excellent contributions examine the rapidly changing relationships between Canada-UK, EU-UK and Canada-EU, including trade disruptions, the search for new agreements, the impact of public opinion, sectoral concerns in agriculture, and implications for multilevel governance and federalism. These analyses suggest that CETA's complications and Brexit disruptions create both opportunity and risks for the transatlantic partnership. This informative collection will be useful to scholars, policy practitioners and decision makers concerned with transatlantic commerce and collaboration as they plot a way forward through the collapse of the multilateral rules-based trading system."

Robert G. Finbow, Dalhousie University, Canada

"At a time when both internal and external challenges suggest a need to explore different models of cooperation between the EU and third countries, this fascinating collection considers one such model that is far too frequently overlooked".

Anand Menon, King's College London, UK; Director of UK in a Changing Europe

"As the postwar liberal international order is under severe contestation (some would more bluntly call it dead), the EU has to adjust to a new transactional and geopolitical reality for which its traditional focus on cooperation and economic liberalism is not directly fit for purpose. By focusing on how the EU has rekindled and deepened its engagement with both Canada and the UK, two nations deeply tied to the United States, this book provides a timely examination of what can make the EU thrive in this new world order -and how it can do so without losing the "soul" of the European integration project."

Sophie Meunier, Director of the EU Program, Princeton University, USA

"This systematic and interdisciplinary analysis of the relations between Canada, the UK and the EU constructs an intriguing picture of current agreements and potential future developments. It provides much food for thought - especially in light of developments in the age of 'Trump 2.0' and their impact on US-Canada and US-EU relations. For those looking to understand the 'triangle' of relations between Canada, the UK and the EU this is an indispensable source of ideas and evidence."

Michael Smith, University of Warwick, UK

"This volume provides a unique collection of analyses of the complex transatlantic relationships among Canada, the EU and the UK after Brexit. In ten chapters, it examines the opportunities and challenges for expanding and enhancing trade relations as well as wider economic and political cooperation between these countries and with the EU, and the prospects of applying the "Canada model" to the UK. A timely and indispensable book in view of democratic backsliding in the US and a threatening disintegration of the international liberal order."

Ingeborg Toemmel, University of Osnabrueck, Germany; founding Director of the Osnabrueck Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in European Studies

"This extremely timely book goes beyond considering how Canada's trade agreement with the European Union was presented as a model for the UK's post-Brexit trading relationship to consider what Canada's experience suggests about how to navigate trading relationships with both of the two largest capitalist economies - the US and the EU. The multi-national and multi-disciplinary team of contributors compare Canada and the UK's relationships with the EU, analyze Canada's own relationship with the EU, and explore the challenges of navigating relations with much larger neighbours. This volume, therefore, is a valuable resource not only for students of Canada and the UK's relations with the EU, but also for students of the foreign policies of other middle powers."

Alasdair Young, Co-Director of the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA