UK should 'team up' with Canada in new Europe alliance, Canadian minister tells BBC

The UK should "team up" with a proposed economic alliance between Canada and Europe, Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne has said.

"This is all about the substance, to build an alliance of the future," he told the BBC. "The world has changed. America has changed. So we need to change."

Champagne also gave a frank assessment of the Canada-US trade war after a deal collapsed last month, saying the country had "stood up for our industries, our workers, our country" by imposing tariffs.

His comments come after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed "opening the door" to an associate EU membership for Canada , an unprecedented move for the bloc.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to address the European Union in Strasbourg , shortly after von der Leyen's proposal was made, was "to build the alliance of the future", Champagne said.

Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England, has previously talked about an alliance of "middle powers" working together on economic growth, resilience and security.

Speaking to the BBC, Champagne said the UK and Canada had shared values.

"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?" he said.