Speaking with host Piya Chattopadhyay for CBC News’ morning radio show, Founder and CEO of CANZUK International, James Skinner, discussed the importance of Brexit for progressing relations between Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and the benefits of implementing facilitated migration and trade between the four countries.
“These countries share so much in common through history, through ancestry. They’ve worked together on the international stage for decades and CANZUK has actually been a term that’s been used for many, many years…it was originally started in the United Nations as a fun way to abbreviate how these countries have worked together for so long and they always used to vote the same way in the UN Assembly.
“What we’ve done at CANZUK International is we’ve revived that period of dormancy that was there for decades and brought about a new initiative for CANZUK to take on in the modern world.”
Chattopadhyay questioned the need for CANZUK given that the four countries already shared so much in common through heritage, culture and language. Skinner responded:
“The first thing that comes to mind is security and working on our already existing agreement that we have with the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance. We’re living in an increasingly hostile world, so it’s important for these countries to work together to promote a safer and more secure world.
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“Trade as well; everybody appreciates reduced barriers to commerce and tariffs, lower costs and lower costs of living. And also opportunity – for example, if you wanted to, you could go and work in Australia or New Zealand or the UK without having to go through the arduous immigration controls of visas and permits…providing you were a law abiding citizen. There would be that increased opportunity and increased freedom for people to do that which I think is important.”
Discussing Brexit, Chattopadhyay questioned whether the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union benefited the CANZUK campaign and the ability of CANZUK International to move forward with its objectives.
“It really does”, said Skinner. “For the longest time, we’ve wanted to bring the United Kingdom into this…but obviously, the thorn in the side has been that the UK has not been able to negotiate its own trading arrangements and even its own immigration arrangements…but now that the UK is “an independent country” from the European Union, that gives the UK a lot of liberty to pursue trade and migration and even the foreign policy cooperation that CANZUK International is advocating for.”
The full interview can be listened to here:
CANZUK International will continue to work with media outlets across Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and continue to advocate for facilitated migration, trade and foreign policy cooperation between the CANZUK countries.
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