Question Period Note: Brexit (General)

The upcoming departure of the U.K. from the European Union and its implications for Canada-U.K. relations

• Both the U.K. and the EU are important strategic partners for Canada with whom we enjoy deep historical ties and common values. It is in Canada's national interest to continue to build relations with both parties.

• Canada encourages the U.K. and EU to agree on a path forward as soon as possible in order to minimize uncertainty.

The 2016 referendum on EU membership, where the Leave side won by a narrow 52-48 margin, shocked the U.K. political system and resulted in PM Cameron's resignation and his replacement by PM May following a selection process in the governing Conservative Party.

The process for leaving the European Union is outlined in Article 50 of the 2007 Treaty on European Union, which provides for a two-year negotiating window on the terms of withdrawal, followed by automatic withdrawal after two years if no agreement is reached and there is no unanimous consent to extend this process. After Parliament passed the necessary legislation, PM May provided Article 50 notification on March 29, 2017. Since then, there have been three extensions to the Article 50 period, and Brexit is now slated to take place on January 31, 2020. The inability for PM May to deliver Brexit ultimately led to her resignation as PM and subsequent replacement by Boris Johnson.

The current Withdrawal Agreement negotiated between the U.K. and the EU includes a transition period that would last until December 31, 2020 and would see the U.K. still bound by the EU acquis but without any voice on making those rules. As well, the U.K. would still be bound by obligations stemming from international agreements concluded by the EU until the end of the transition, though the U.K. would be free to negotiate, sign, and ratify new international agreements in areas of EU jurisdiction, provided that those agreements do not enter into force until after the transition period. The terms of the transition deal are still subject to formal approval by the U.K. and the EU.

The Withdrawal Agreement has not yet been formally approved by the UK and EU Parliaments. The likelihood of UK parliamentary approval will be in large part influenced by the results of the UK election on December 12, 2019 .

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