Labour’s only Scottish MP will travel to Canada this week to learn how political pin-up Justin Trudeau brought his Liberal party back from the electoral wilderness.

Ian Murray will also study how relations between Quebec and the Canadian government have dampened calls for another independence referendum.

Labour sources suggested he could also meet politicians from the Parti Québécois, the Quebec equivalent of the SNP.

In 1995 Quebec came within a whisker of voting for independence.

But there has not been another referendum since, and there is not prospect of one any time soon.

Mr Murray said: "Scotland and Canada have long and historic links and today the UK and Scotland have a lot to learn from the experience of Canada and Quebec.

"We now have in Scotland one of the most powerful devolved Parliaments in the world – Scottish politics has changed for good.

"We now need to learn how our Governments and politicians can work together for the benefit of everyone in Scotland."

He added that the Smith Agreement on extra powers, signed in the wake of 2014's independence vote. had agreed the importance of inter-governmental relations.

Mr Murray added: "I’m looking forward to meeting Ministers and officials from both the Government of Quebec and the Federal Canadian Government to discuss some of the ways they work together and what we can learn for the future.”

Labour sources said that they would also talk to politicians from the Canadian Liberal Party about their shock election victory last October.

The Liberals were nearly left for dead after the 2011 Canadian general election, when they finished a distant third.

Mr Murray will visit Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City during his trip and will speak to representatives from both the federal and Quebec governments.

Labour sources insisted the fact-finding visit would not have independence as its main focus.

“That is not the important thing. One of the reasons that people in Canada are happy with the status quo is because there have been significant changes in how the provinces interact with each other.

“We want to look at what happened post-1995.

“Now that we in Scotland enter the next stage of devolution how do we make sure that it is done properly?.

“People in Canada recognise the parallels. They see that what is happening here is very similar.”

Accompanying Mr Murray will be Stephen Doughty, the former shadow minister who dramatically announced his resignation from Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench live on television in January.

Mr Doughty was educated in Canada and has close contacts with politicians there.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met Mr Murray when he visited the UK late last year.

His father, Pierre Trudeau, who was one of Canada's longest serving prime ministers in the 1970s and early 1980s.