Canada PM vows forge new ties with Britain and EU

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached out to Britain and the European Union after Britons voted to split from the bloc, saying Canada would “continue to build relationships with both parties.”

“The UK and the EU are important strategic partners for Canada with whom we enjoy deep historical ties and common values,” the prime minister said in a statement.

“We will continue to build relations with both parties as they forge a new relationship.”

Britain is Canada’s third-largest trading partner after the United States and China, and Ottawa had supported Britain staying in the EU.

The former British colony is also seeking to finalize a free trade deal with the EU, signed in 2014.

The Canadian dollar lost about a cent against the US greenback while the Toronto stock market opened up slightly, in response to the Brexit.

Trudeau commented, “We are well positioned to weather global market uncertainty as we have done in the past.”