Sheinbaum Meets with Canadian Ministers, Prepares for Visit from Prime Minister Carney

Mexico City. The recent two day meeting President Claudia Sheinbaum held with the Canada’s Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champange and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Ananda was in preparation for a visit to Mexico by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the President revealed this morning during her daily press conference, emphasizing that both nations intend to strengthen bilateral relations.

The increasing discussions come as the two junior partners of the USMCA trade agreement try to navigate the tempestuous waters of Trumpian tarrif strategy. Last Thursday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order increasing tariffs on Canadian goods to 35% from 25% on all products not covered by the current U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA); while Mexico received a 90 day reprieve from a 30% hike in tariffs that were threatened to take effect on Friday, August 1st. (The original tariffs of 25% on cars, and 50% on steel, aluminimum and copper remain.)

President Sheinbaum also noted Mexico wants Canada to expand its investments in our territory, while reavealing that during yesterday’s meeting she also emphasized the need for Canadian mining companies to comply with environmental regulations to operate in Mexico.

Over 75% of the world’s mining companies are headquartered in Canada, and their environmental and human rights record is abysmal. Mexico has not been spared any of the abuse: Canadian mining corporations have been involved in union-busting and death-threats, human-rights abuses and environmental degradation via toxic wastewater and tailings dumpings; on top of profiting from extractive and exploitative mining concessions granted to them by previous neoliberal governments.

A long-demanded Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) which could oversee the international activities of Canadian corporations in the garment, mining, oil and gas sectors was created under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2019, but is widely considered toothless, lacking investigative powers. Even the Ombudsperson herself was frustrated by CORE’s ineffectiveness, stating the “Government can and should better equip the CORE to fulfill its mandate to promote and ensure responsible enterprise on the part of Canadian companies operating outside of Canada. In particular, the CORE should be granted the ability to compel documents and testimony from the companies it investigates.”

The two Canadian cabinet ministers are also holding meetings with other groups in Mexico: Finance Minister Champagne with stakeholders that have a Canadian presence in the aerospace, energy and banking sectors.

“The meetings will be constructive in that respect: looking at markets, looking at diversification, looking at strengthening our partnership with our Mexican colleagues. This visit is all complementary to what we’ve been saying: that we need to engage with strategic partners around the world, and if you look at the USMCA as a trading bloc, that’s the second largest trading bloc in the world. So it is important for us to engage with our Mexican friends,” Minister Champagne told Canadian state broadcaster Radio-Canada in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on Monday.

After Tuesday’s meeting, the two Canadian ministers declined to comment on the discrepancy between the treatment regarding tarrifs on Mexico and Canada from Trump, saying Canada and Mexico’s trade and security relationship to the U.S. is different.

“With Mexico, we are neighbours but we could get to know each other better,” Champagne said. The visit was a very successful trip … quite extraordinary, the depth and level of discussions we’ve had today.”

Prime Minister Carney and President Sheinbaum have spoken at four times since the Canadian prime minister was elected earlier this year.