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Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service is seeking women-owned and women-led businesses in technology-based sectors to join the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development for a women’s Canada Trade Mission to the United Kingdom.

Event details

Date: March 13 to 16, 2023 Market: United Kingdom Sector(s): Technology-based sectors – Clean technologies, Information communications and technologies (ICT), Life Sciences Format: In-market Registration deadline: February 9, 2023, 17:00 E.S.T.

Why the United Kingdom?

The United Kingdom (U.K.) is Canada’s largest export market in Europe, and third largest trading partner in the world. Our bilateral relationship is built on shared history, values and strong economic ties.

In March 2022, Canada and the U.K. announced the launch of negotiations towards a Canada-U.K. free trade agreement (FTA) that is inclusive and sustainable and ensures that everyone benefits from trade, including women, Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized entrepreneurs, 2SLGBTQIA+ and youth.

While the FTA is being negotiated, Canadian exporters continue to have preferential access to the UK market through the Canada-UK Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) . The TCA preserves the main benefits of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), including the elimination of tariffs on 98% of products exported to the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom’s technology-based sectors create opportunities for Canadian companies

The United Kingdom is Canada’s most important science, technology and innovation (STI) partner in Europe. This importance is underscored in the comprehensive Canada-U.K. Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate further bilateral STI cooperation.

• Clean technologies

The United Kingdom has legislated net zero by 2050, with a 68% interim reduction on 1990 levels by 2030, and 78% reduction by 2035. Opportunities exist as sectors across the economy decarbonise and transition to utilising cleaner sources of energy more efficiently in order to reach set targets.

Renewables: Britain’s Energy Security Strategy, published in April 2022, increased ambitions to 50 GW deployed offshore wind by 2030, including 5GW of floating offshore wind. This deployment brings with it supply chain opportunities. Additionally, there is ambitious development planned for hydrogen, CCUS, smart energy systems, and energy storage.

Transportation: The U.K. government has announced a commitment to end the sale of new petrol and diesel petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 , and that all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission at the tailpipe by 2035.

Energy Efficiency: The U.K.’s ongoing cost of energy crisis has resulted in heightened focus on the requirement for greater energy management and efficiency measures.

Information and communications technology (ICT)

Technology (ICT)-based businesses are at the heart of the U.K. economy with a turnover of $312.8 billion while sustaining 1.6 million jobs. There are significant opportunities for Canadian exporters, especially for innovations in the following areas:

• Information – Artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and business analytics.
• Computation – 5G, IoT, quantum technologies, decentralised platforms including cloud/edge computing technologies
• Interaction – Digital UX (AR/VR), e-Commerce, enterprise software, metaverse, personalisation and marketing technologies
• Core – Cybersecurity and trust technologies and modernization of legacy systems.
• Life sciences

The United Kingdom is home to one of the world’s most productive life science economies and a significant market for medical devices, health IT, diagnostics and related technologies. Its market has been evolving over the past few years providing both challenges as well as opportunities for Canadian companies.

U.K. spending on research and development (R&D) will ramp up with public R&D funding of £20 billion in technology such as AI, life sciences, quantum, fintech and green tech with the aim to make the United Kingdom a Science Superpower, and for the U.K. to invest 2.4% of GDP in R&D by 2027.

In a post-Brexit, post-Covid world, where the United Kingdom is looking for new trading partners, Canadian exporters can potentially benefit from new opportunities on the horizon. New trade and technology partnership opportunities have been created with sub-sectors such as biopharmaceuticals and vaccine manufacturing now strategically important elements to both U.K. and Canadian security. Furthermore, with U.K. researchers and SMEs locked out of various European Union-initiated funds recently, Canada seems to be a growing partner for U.K. companies looking to collaborate and expand into the North American market.

Opportunities will arise from U.K.’s large R&D expenditure for Canadian researchers and companies and this mission can be a platform for Canadian life sciences companies to better understand what the United Kingdom has to offer.

Who can participate?

Canadian export-ready women-owned and/or women-led businesses in the following technology-based sectors:

• Information and communications technologies

Program (*in development)

The in-market program will visit technology hubs in the United Kingdom and will include:

• networking opportunities with Minister Ng and the local business community
• on-site business briefings by our trade commissioners, including expert advice on conducting business successfully in the United Kingdom
• a Free Trade Agreement workshop for Canadian businesses
• market overviews of the United Kingdom’s technology-based sectors
• pre-arranged B2B meetings
• site visits (where applicable)

A limited number of Canadian women-owned and women-led companies will be selected for the in-market program

All applications for the in-market program will be screened for suitability based on the trade mission’s focus and applicants’ capacity to provide the needed services and/or goods in the United Kingdom. If you are selected to be part of the business delegation, you will be provided a detailed program to help you plan and prepare for your trip.

Travel considerations

Before deciding to travel, please review the travel health notice for COVID-19 and international travel. No matter where you plan on travelling, make sure you check the Travel Advice and Advisories page for your destination twice: once when you are planning your trip and again shortly before you leave. Safety and security conditions may change between the date you book your travel and your departure date.

• United Kingdom travel advice
• Registration of Canadians Abroad - Travel.gc.ca

Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements, including all air and ground transportation to and from the airport.

Participants are responsible for covering all related travel costs, including airfare, accommodations, ground transportation and meals not included in the program.

Please make sure to purchase cancellation insurance and/or a refundable ticket in the event that the mission dates change

Register now to be considered for the Canadian business delegation.

Key contacts

Find out more about the trade mission and the Trade Commissioner Service .

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This directory contains contact information for government offices that provide consular services to Canadian citizens abroad. Not all government offices provide full consular services. This directory also includes Australian and Swedish offices around the world that, by special agreement, provide consular services to Canadians. For up-to-date, detailed information on a particular office, visit that office’s website or contact it directly.

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Diplomatic representation of Canada. Information on consular services of the Canadian Embassy of in United Kingdom. You can contact the consular department of the embassy for visa application, passports, consular statements, legalisation of documents and information of the opening hours of the different departments of the Embassy of Canada in London.

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Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau

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• Prime Minister to travel to the United States to strengthen bilateral ties

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The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced he will travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 21, 2024, to participate in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Quadrennial North American Convention and promote the Canada-US relationship, including cross-border trade.

Invited by the SEIU to address the convention, the Prime Minister will highlight Team Canada’s work creating good middle-class jobs, building opportunities for our workers, strengthening health care, and delivering fairness for every generation. The Prime Minister will also highlight the deep-rooted partnership that Canada and the United States share. As the closest of friends and Allies, this relationship is deepened by the important contributions of organized labour, led by our cross-border unions. 

While in Pennsylvania, the Prime Minister will meet with U.S. business leaders to identify opportunities for commercial, investment, and trade collaboration. As one of Canada’s biggest trading partners, Pennsylvania exports more merchandise to Canada than to its next four largest foreign export markets combined. In 2023, Pennsylvania exported US$14.3 billion to Canada, more than a quarter of Pennsylvania’s exports to the world. Canada has an extensive footprint in Pennsylvania, with US$13.6 billion in exports to the state. Canadian-owned companies also employ over 25,000 workers in the state. 

With this productive trade relationship, we’re creating good-paying jobs our workers can count on, the right conditions for our businesses to grow, and more opportunities for Americans and Canadians alike. Canada is a reliable partner with critical minerals, a resilient supply chain, a competitive economy, and a world-class talent pool. With this Team Canada approach – we’re growing trade, attracting investment, and putting Canadian workers at the forefront of these opportunities. 

“Canada and the United States are the closest of friends. Together, we’re creating good-paying jobs, building opportunities for our workers, taking climate action, and growing our economies. This trip will be another opportunity for Team Canada to deepen the partnership with our American friends – and make life better and fairer for Canadians and Americans alike.” The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Quick Facts

• The SEIU is a labour union that represents some 2 million individuals. It includes SEIU-Healthcare, which represents roughly 60,000 healthcare workers in the Province of Ontario.   
• Canada and the United States of America share one of the largest trading relationships in the world. The two countries also share the longest and most secure border in the world, over which nearly $3.6 billion worth of goods and services cross daily.
• With over $1.3 trillion in bilateral trade in goods and services in 2023, Canada was the largest U.S. trading partner. Canada-U.S. trade is built on long-standing binational supply chains, whereby approximately 79 per cent of Canadian goods exported to the U.S. are incorporated into U.S. supply chains.
• The Canada-U.S. trade relationship supports millions of good jobs on both sides of the border, driving innovative collaborations that strengthen North American competitiveness.
• Pennsylvania imported US$13.6 billion in merchandise from Canada and exported US$14.3 billion in merchandise to Canada in 2023
• The state’s economy depends heavily on imports of Canadian crude oil, wood pulp, lumber and various metals 
• Canadian-owned companies employed 27,800 workers in the state in 2018. 
• More than 2.2 million jobs in Canada depend on exports to the U.S., and more than 7.8 million jobs in the U.S. are related to trade with Canada.
• According to U.S. data, majority-owned Canadian companies operating in the U.S. employ over 866,000 workers.
• The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) has been in force since July 1, 2020. It reinforces North American supply chains and enables Canada, the U.S., and Mexico to compete as a regional bloc on the global market.

Associated Links

• Canada and North America
• Canada-United States relations
• Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement

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Canada-united kingdom relations, on this page, bilateral relations, trade relations, partnerships and organizations.

Canada and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) have a profound, wide-ranging relationship built on strong historic ties and shared values.

Canada and the UK share a sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III, and are both among the oldest parliamentary democracies in the world. The relationship between our two countries continues a long tradition of strategic partnership. We fought alongside one another in two world wars and in nearly every major conflict for more than a century. In recent years, Canada and the UK have placed a high priority on our security relationship, which includes military, law enforcement, and intelligence cooperation. This cooperation takes place both bilaterally and through various multilateral fora.

More broadly, Canada and the UK work closely together in many international organizations. Ours are the only two countries that are members of the OECD, OSCE, NATO, the G7, the G20, and the Commonwealth. Through the United Nations, World Bank, and other organizations, Canada and the UK continue to promote our shared values and commitment to international development.

Through these various international forums, Canada and the UK collaborate to advance priorities such as gender equality, health, and education, address global threats, such as climate change, and respond to international security challenges, such as foreign information manipulation. We also continue to collaborate in support of building inclusive and stable societies, underpinned by democracy, human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of media, and the rule of law. Notably, Canada and the UK stand united in the fight against arbitrary detentions.

Canada and the UK also work to safeguard our mutual prosperity. This includes collaborative efforts to promote strong, sustainable, and balanced economic growth, sound fiscal management, healthy financial sectors and regulatory systems, and open markets. Our two countries are both committed to improving global economic conditions so that free and fair international trade and investment can thrive.

Canada and the UK enjoy a close-knit and multifaceted defence partnership that dates back several centuries. The Canadian Armed Forces were originally modelled on the British system, and we share many traditions, values, and beliefs.

Our shared history and ties, forged on the battlefield during two world wars, have laid the groundwork for the solid defence relationship we enjoy today. The Canadian and UK defence ministries maintain close working relations at all levels, including both bilaterally and multilaterally through NATO, and through participation in UN peacekeeping operations and other multinational military activities. In recent years, the UK and Canada have worked together with international allies on conflicts in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, and our defence ministries also collaborate closely to support Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and freedom in the face of Russia’s unlawful invasion.

Canadian and British personnel serve on reciprocal exchange and professional development programs. Specialized elements of Canadian military training are conducted in the UK to take advantage of their expertise and to share and solidify best practices. Our common operational experience and challenges have led to ongoing information sharing and cooperation across all domains.

The UK is one of the top export destinations for Canadian defence products and services, and is one of Canada’s most important international partners on defence science and technology cooperation, second only to the U.S.

Canada and the United Kingdom enjoy a long and robust commercial relationship.

The UK was Canada’s third-largest single-country trading partner for goods and services in 2022, with trade valued at $46.5 billion. Around 3,700 Canadian companies—more than 93% of which are small and medium-sized enterprises—export goods to the UK.

The UK is an important source of foreign direct investment for Canada, ranking second after the United States on the ultimate investing country basis. There are more than 1,000 UK affiliates that employ over 150,000 people in Canada. The UK is also an attractive market for Canadian investors, ranking as the fourth largest recipient country, and largest in Europe, for Canadian investment abroad.

Canada and the UK also have strong partnerships in science, technology and innovation , with thriving networks of researchers, universities, and R&D-intensive companies. To strengthen these links, Canada and the UK signed an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Science, Technology, and Innovation (ST&I) in 2024. This renewed agreement highlights our joint commitment to foster research and help tackle global challenges through the commercialization of new innovative solutions. This ST&I collaboration identified several key areas for cooperation, including quantum, AI, semiconductors, engineering biology and clean energy. Additionally, a focus on scientific diplomacy facilitates the exchange of expertise on issues such as international standards, governance, and regulation of new technologies, and help inform discussions in international forums.

Following the UK’s departure from the European Union in January 2020, the Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement , based on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), entered into force on April 1, 2021. The Trade Continuity Agreement preserves preferential market access, for both Canadian and UK businesses and does not expire. On July 16, 2023, Canada and the ten other members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) signed the UK Accession Protocol, welcoming the UK as the 12th member of the Agreement and the first successful accession candidate. CPTPP Parties are now undertaking their respective domestic processes for ratification of the UK Accession Protocol.  

Related links

• Trade and investment agreements
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• Doing business in the United Kingdom

To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and the United Kingdom work closely in multilateral fora, such as:

• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• Commonwealth
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
• International Criminal Court (ICC)
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN)
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• Open Government Partnership (OGP)
• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
• Organization of American States (OAS)
• Pacific Alliance
• United Nations (UN)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)