CANZUK facts for kids

A world map showing the CANZUK countries.

CANZUK is a short name for a suggested group of countries: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The idea is for these four countries to work much more closely together, like a big team. This could mean easier trade, working together on world issues, helping each other with military defense, and making it simpler for people to move between the four countries.

These countries already have a lot in common. They share similar ways of running their economies, similar values in society, and similar government and legal systems. Most people in these countries also speak English. An organization called CANZUK International is working to make this idea happen. Many conservative politicians and groups support it.

What is CANZUK?

The idea of CANZUK is like creating a special club for these four countries. They would share many things, such as:

• Free Trade: Making it easier and cheaper to buy and sell goods and services between them.
• Working Together on World Issues: Helping each other with foreign policy, like how they deal with other countries around the world.
• Military Cooperation: Training together and sharing defense strategies to keep everyone safe.
• Easy Travel: Allowing citizens to live and work in any of the four countries more easily, similar to how people can move freely between Australia and New Zealand now.

History of the Idea

The name CANZUK was first used in 1967 by a writer named W. David McIntyre. He wrote about a "CANZUK Union." However, the modern idea of closer ties, including easier travel and trade, became popular in 2015. This was thanks to James Skinner, who started the group CANZUK International.

After the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union in 2016, many people started talking more about CANZUK. Some, like historian Andrew Roberts, suggested that these four countries could form a powerful new group in the world. They thought it could be a third major partner for Western countries, alongside the United States and the European Union. Roberts even believed this group could become a "great power" or even a "global power" because of its size and strong economies.

Some supporters want a very close union, like a single country made of four parts. Others, like the group CANZUK International, want a "geopolitical partnership." This means they would work together on trade, security, and free movement for people, but still remain separate countries. Many leaders, including former Prime Ministers Scott Morrison (Australia), Justin Trudeau (Canada), Theresa May (UK), and Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand), have supported the idea of stronger trade links.

Shared Connections

Canada, Australia, and New Zealand used to be part of the British Empire. Many people from Britain moved to these countries, and they became the main population. Today, these four CANZUK countries are still very close. They share strong cultural, diplomatic, and military connections.

For example, the flags of Australia and New Zealand still have the flag of the United Kingdom (the Union Flag) in a corner. The Union Flag is also one of Canada's official flags. All four countries are Commonwealth realms, which means they share Charles III as their King and head of state. They also use similar political systems, based on the British Westminster system, and similar legal systems.

The CANZUK countries are all part of the English-speaking world. They also work together on military projects, like sharing intelligence through Five Eyes and cooperating in military exercises. Canada and the UK are part of NATO, a military alliance. Australia, New Zealand, and the UK are allied through the Five Power Defence Arrangements.

These nations are also very diverse and multicultural. They have free media and agree on many important social issues. People in these four countries generally see each other as close friends and allies.

Australia and New Zealand have had a strong trade agreement since 1983 called the Closer Economic Relations (CER). In 2021, Australia and the United Kingdom also signed a big trade deal. This deal makes it easier to trade goods and services and reduces barriers for technology and digital services. It also makes it simpler for lawyers to work in both countries and reduces visa rules for some workers.

Countries at a Glance

Here's a quick look at the four CANZUK countries:

	Canada	Australia	New Zealand	United Kingdom
Flag
Coat of arms
Population	40,769,890 (as of 2024[update])	25,522,169 (as of 2019[update])	5,124,850 (as of July 2021[update])	66,796,807 (as of 2019[update])
Area	9,984,670 km2	7,741,220 km2	268,838 km2	243,610 km2
Capital city	Ottawa	Canberra	Wellington	London
Head of government	Prime Minister Justin Trudeau	Prime Minister Anthony Albanese	Prime Minister Christopher Luxon	Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Official languages	English French	English	English Māori NZ Sign Language	English Scots Gaelic Welsh Irish Cornish
Currency	Canadian dollar	Australian dollar	New Zealand dollar	Pound sterling

Economic Strength

The CANZUK countries together form a strong economic group. Here's how they compare, using data from 2019 and 2020:

Country	Population	Area	Exclusive Economic Zone (2017)	Military Spending (USD billion - 2020)	Economy Size (Nominal GDP in billions USD)	Economy Size per person (Nominal GDP per capita in USD)	Human Development Index (2021)
Canada	38,014,184	9,984,670 km2	5,559,077 km2	22.50	$1,984	$48,774	0.936 (very high)
Australia	25,741,500	7,741,220 km2	8,505,348 km2	26.30	$1,500	$61,359	0.951 (very high)
New Zealand	5,007,330	268,838 km2	4,420,565 km2	4.30	$206	$42,692	0.937 (very high)
United Kingdom	67,886,004	243,610 km2	6,805,586 km2	55.10	$3,124	$44,367	0.929 (very high)
Total	136,649,018	18,238,338 km2	25,290,576 km2	108.2	$6,621	$48,765	0.938 (very high)
Total as % of World	1.7%	11.7%	18.3%	5.4%	7.4%	–	–

Supporting the Idea

Many groups and politicians support the CANZUK idea. Organizations like CANZUK International want to create a zone where people can move freely between the four countries, just like it was before 1972 for the UK, or like the current travel arrangement between Australia and New Zealand.

Canada

In Canada, many members of the Conservative Party of Canada support CANZUK. In 2017, Andrew Scheer, who later became the party leader, said he strongly supported a CANZUK free trade deal. He pointed out that these countries have similar laws and democratic systems, which makes trade easier. Other Conservative leaders, like Erin O'Toole, also called CANZUK a "no brainer." In 2018, the Conservative Party of Canada officially made CANZUK part of their party policy.

Australia

In Australia, James Paterson, a Liberal Senator, wrote in 2017 that CANZUK free trade and free movement was "an idea whose time has come." He saw it as a great chance to make a wide-ranging agreement between the four Commonwealth nations after Brexit.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, the ACT New Zealand party supports a "free-movement zone." Their leader, David Seymour, said that successful nations like Britain and New Zealand should not put up walls between each other. He suggested that Brexit gives Britain new options to make a two-way free movement agreement. In 2018, Simon Bridges, who was then the leader of the National Party, also announced his support for CANZUK.

Winston Peters, leader of the New Zealand First party, suggested a "Closer Commonwealth Economic Relations" (CCER) area in 2016. This would include the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, possibly with other countries joining later. This CCER idea was even included in the New Zealand government's policy agreement.

United Kingdom

In the UK, many politicians have shown support. In 2012, MP Andrew Rosindell suggested a bill to make it easier for citizens from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to enter the UK. This bill aimed to create similar agreements between the countries. Many other MPs from different parties supported this idea.

The Adam Smith Institute, a think tank, also supported CANZUK in 2018. Daniel Hannan, a Conservative politician, spoke in favor of CANZUK at a Canadian Conservative Party event. Scottish Conservative MP Bill Grant also said that British ministers are "very enthusiastic" about future relationships and trade with these countries.

Since 2020, a group called Conservatives for CANZUK has been working to build support among UK politicians for closer ties after Brexit. Many MPs, including Jeremy Hunt, are open supporters.

Opposing Views

Not everyone agrees with the CANZUK idea. Some critics say that a CANZUK group wouldn't make sense in today's world. Nick Cohen wrote in 2016 that the idea of the "Anglosphere" (English-speaking countries) wanting Brexit was a "fantasy." He argued that these countries have slowly grown apart in their legal and political ways since the British Empire ended.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also said that while Australia, Canada, and New Zealand would like new trade deals with the UK, the UK's market of 65 million people is much smaller than Europe's 450 million.

Some people also point out that there are big differences between the countries. For example, only the United Kingdom has a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and a very large military. The UK's economy is also much bigger than each of the other three countries.

Chris Randle, a writer for Jacobin magazine, criticized the idea, calling it a "fantasy" of some British conservatives.

Official Views

In September 2019, Liz Truss, who was then the UK International Trade Secretary, said that the British government would talk about easier movement between Australia and the UK during trade talks after Brexit.

However, in January 2020, it was reported that Australia's government at the time, led by Scott Morrison, was against expanding full freedom of movement with the UK. Australian trade minister Simon Birmingham said he couldn't imagine "full and unfettered free movement" being discussed. Scott Morrison had also said earlier that the special travel arrangement with New Zealand was "quite unique" and probably wouldn't be extended to other countries.

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