François-Philippe Champagne
Role at the time: Canadian Minister of Finance and National Revenue, interviewed by the BBC
Statement summary
In an interview with the BBC’s economics editor Faisal Islam, Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the proposed Canada–EU alliance is “all about the substance, to build an alliance of the future,” adding that “the world has changed” and “America has changed.” He said Canada and the United Kingdom “share the same values,” asked “Why don't we team up?” and said “we are independent and sovereign, but we are stronger together.” The BBC also quotes him calling the moment “a moment of great opportunities” to strengthen the existing Canada–EU relationship.
“This is all about the substance, to build an alliance of the future. The world has changed. America has changed. So we need to change. We need to look at partnership in a different way, and the great thing is that when you look at Canada, and I would say the United Kingdom, we share the same values. We are very aligned in our vision of the world. Why don't we team up? We are independent and sovereign, but we are stronger together.”
Why we used this label
Relative to whether Canada should become an associate member of the European Union, Champagne expresses support for the Canada–EU “alliance of the future” of which the associate-membership proposal is part, and urges the United Kingdom to join it. He does not use the associate-member label, and the BBC says the terms are not yet formalised, so his support is for the alliance rather than for a defined membership status; Prime Minister Carney’s statement of welcome is labelled the same way for the same reason. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, which loses because he states no condition or reservation about the alliance.