Canada and the United Kingdom have reached an interim post-Brexit trade agreement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Saturday, CBC news reports.
"Now we get to continue to work on a bespoke agreement, a comprehensive agreement, over the coming years that will maximize our trade opportunities and boost things for everyone," Trudeau said.
"Free trade is an important part of the way that we're going to bounce back from COVID, but I also think that Canada and the U.K. share a perspective about building back greener," said Johnson, who also took a moment to congratulate Trudeau for taking steps to get Canada to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement extends the elimination of tariffs on 98 percent of goods exported between the two countries and sets the stage for negotiations toward a permanent and more ambitious deal in the new year. The agreement could include "the potential to go further in areas like digital trade, the environment, and women's economic empowerment," a release from the British government said.
The announcement came as world leaders virtually convened for the G20 summit.
