CX in Canada

The CX team has been in Toronto this week taking part in a number of events to promote Commonwealth connections.

On Monday, our Executive Director Tim Hewish spoke at an event organised by the NATO Association of Canada about our report on security and defence: cooperation: "The Commonwealth's Call to Duty."

We were privileged to speak alongside Canadian Defence Minister the Hon, Jason Kenney MP and the Hon. Hugh Segal (former Senator, Commonwealth Envoy, and member of the Commonwealth Eminent Person's Group). Both were welcoming of our report and it's recommendations which is hugely encouraging and will hopefully help bring them about as soon as possible.

The unedited footage of the whole event is available here. Tim's speech starts here, Hugh Segal's starts here, and Minister Kenney's here.

After the event, the CX Directors took part in the Nato Council's "Talk to a Diplomat" podcast series. You can listen to our episode here.

We were also able to catch up with our Advisory Board members Dr Roy Eappen and Michael Bonner as well as the NATO Council's Robert Baines and update them on CX's progress so far.

Finally, we were also honoured to speak as guests of the Royal Commonwealth Society of Toronto and the United Commonwealth Society. It was great to meet many of the Society's members and in particular to share a platform with Joannes Paulus Yimbesalu, a Cameroonian and a winner of the Queen's Young Leader Award.

Advisory Board Member Robin Walker MP quizzes Government on Commonwealth Trade

Robin at CX's launch event

Robin Walker MP, a member of our Advisory Board and the Secretary of Parliament's Commonwealth All-Party Group, has been quizzing the UK government on trade with the Commonwealth.

In the first of a series of questions, he asked what the UK was doing to promote UK-Commonwealth trade, EU-Commonwealth trade, and intra-Commonwealth trade. The Minister responded as follows:

"The European Commission leads on trade negotiations on behalf of the EU and its member states. The UK is a strong advocate of the EU’s ambitious trade agenda and has supported the pursuit of comprehensive trade agreements with several Commonwealth countries. Negotiations on free trade agreements with Canada and Singapore are close to finalisation, we are the EU’s strongest champion of a trade agreement with India, and a joint declaration between EU leaders and the Prime Minister of New Zealand last month paves the way to potential trade negotiations between the EU and New Zealand starting under the next European Commission."

As we have argued before, whether in or out of the EU, the UK needs to be doing all it can to build these links and relationships. In our submission to the IEA's Brexit Prize we put forward an extensive plan of how the UK could do so if it were to leave but for as long as it remains a member, we must keep encouraging these deals and agreements to maximise Commonwealth trade.

Robin also asked about UK Trade and Investment's (UKTI) activities in Commonwealth Markets and was told that the "UKTI has a presence in 23 Commonwealth markets, accounting for approximately 21% of UKTI overseas headcount."

Finally, he asked for greater detail about the UK's trade with Commonwealth countries (beyond the public data that is available for 10 members) but this information was not provided.

Commonwealth vs EU: A false dichotomy?

There has been a lot of media attention on Lord Ashcroft's latest research Europe on Trial. It is an extensive examination of the UK population's views on Europe. However one of the overlooked results was the relative popularity of the Commonwealth.

When asked "how  positive  or  negative  do  you  feel  towards  each  of  the  following?", the Commonwealth was the highest scoring political/international organisation ahead of local councils, the UK Parliament, the ECHR, the EU, and the European Parliament.

Several countries were also included in the question and again the Commonwealth & Anglosphere does well with all 4 nations polled (Canada, the USA, India and South Africa) receiving higher average scores than any European institution and Canada receiving the highest score of all countries and institutions:

While this is obviously positive and welcome news, especially in light of some recent negative press for the Commonwealth and several of its member states, caution is required.

There is a danger with this that, for Britain, the Commonwealth will come to be seen only as an alternative to the EU. This not only undervalues this incredible network that we have inherited, it also could lead to it being ignored for as long as Britain is in the EU. This would be a costly error as, in or out, we should be pushing for more and freer trade with other Commonwealth countries.

It is worth remembering that the EU has signed or is working on deals with Canada, Signapore, India, South Africa and various other key Commonwealth countries. In addition, the UK is not the only Commonwealth country in the single market with Malta and Cyprus also being members of both organisations.

These negotiations have often not proceeded as rapidly or freely as we would like but, for as long as the UK remains a part of the EU, they are the only mechanism for us to expand trade with our Commonwealth partners around the world.*

By only viewing the Commonwealth as an alternative to the EU, and therefore to be ignored until a potential future Brexit, there is a danger of trade negotiations with Commonwealth countries slowing or being abandoned just when Britain should be applying ever more pressure for freer trade through the EU and any other channel it has available to it.

CX does not take a firm position on whether or not the UK should be in the EU but the Commonwealth MUST be a priority in either case.

*Worryingly, the Ashcroft poll also found that only 11% view the inability to negotiate trade deals with non-EU countries as one of the "most important disadvantages of EU membership." This issue needs to be highlighted and awareness of it increased as it should be one of the first things raised in future negotiations and could be one of the deciding factors in deciding whether or not the UK should remain a member.

Great case studies of UK-Commonwealth trade

A couple of great case studies of UK-Commonwealth trade were highlighted by UKTI last week. The first is of UK educational firm GEM expanding in to India after already building links with Australia, Singapore and the Maldives.

Their Director says that other nations “were interested in sending their students to the UK because it’s a stable environment, has a developed education system and of course English is an international language.”

On the decision to expand in to India, the case study points out that:

“Half of the country’s population of 1.2 billion is under the age of 25, it has close historical and cultural ties with the UK, there’s a high level of English spoken, a vibrant hospitality sector, and an appreciation of overseas training.”

In the opposite direction, the Canadian logistics firm CareGo has established a presence in the UK. Having decided to look abroad, CareGo’s President and CEO commented: “the UK, with its common language and cultural similarities seemed like a good place to start.”

Having now established a base, CareGo now “plans to use its UK experience to expand into India and South East Asia.”

Two great examples of the Commonwealth in action building links and promoting trade.

Canada's Commonwealth Century: CX essay now available

Our Executive Director's extended essay  is now available from the Atlantic Council of Canada's Business Opportunities in the Commonwealth event in August 2013.

Canada is primed to seize the Commonwealth advantage. It has the ability to pivot from the traditional Atlantic and the Caribbean, whilst looking to the African continent, and then simultaneously turning to the Pacific. Therefore, Canada is uniquely placed to be the new centre point of the Commonwealth.

You can download a copy here.