ottawa –
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has no intention of escalating the war of words with Mexico after the Mexican president criticized Canada’s culture and border framework.
“I fundamentally believe that when it comes to diplomacy, many conversations are always better if they are kept private,” Jolie said Monday in a conference call from Brussels.
The rift between the two trading partners began with US President-elect Donald Trump’s declaration that he plans to impose 25% tariffs on all goods from both countries unless the flow of immigrants and illegal drugs into the US is stopped. It has begun.
In response, several federal and provincial officials in Canada said the issue at the Canadian border is much different than at the Mexican border. For example, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed concern that the level of Chinese investment in Mexico runs counter to the economic security objectives of Ottawa and Washington.
During Trump’s last White House tenure, some prime ministers urged Canada to negotiate a trade deal with Washington independent of Mexico ahead of a 2026 review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement that replaced NAFTA. I’m looking for it.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said at a press conference Monday that Mexico “must be respected, especially by our trading partners.”
He also noted that Canada has a “much more serious problem with fentanyl consumption” than Mexico, likely as a result of drug decriminalization measures.
“We’re not going to be fooled by provocations about which country is better,” she said, arguing that some criticism from Canada was based on political pandering.
“Mexico should not be used as part of (Canada’s) election campaign,” she said.
But Sheinbaum also said Canada “can only hope for the cultural richness that Mexico has,” noting that Canada has a civilization that dates back thousands of years.
Pressed for answers, Joly said he had contacted Mexican officials after consulting with the United States, including on a “very important trade deal” involving all three countries.
“I know there have been a lot of conversations in Canada about how we can work together and how we can protect our interests at the same time,” she said.
“We have a good relationship with Mexico and we need to work together with Mexico. That’s definitely my goal.”
Christopher Sands, director of the Canadian Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, said tensions between the two countries arose during the NAFTA renegotiation, which limited communication between Ottawa and Mexico City.
“The Canada-Mexico relationship has always been the weakest link in the North American triangle,” he said.
“During the (CUSMA) negotiations, there was a lot of feeling that Mexico was going to go it alone and Canada was on the outside looking in, especially toward the end, and that they had to fight to get back on the table.”
He said the United States would rather have trade deals with all three countries so it could limit the time and attention needed on continental issues.
“The United States is probably the most trilateral of the three countries,” he warned.
“I think Donald Trump is going to look at this in 2026 and say, ‘Great, divide and conquer.'”
Sands added that Sheinbaum and his predecessors have implemented nationalist policies that are at odds with Washington.
“The Mexican government is moving in the exact opposite direction of the North American project, nationalizing parts of the economy by reversing energy reform and making deals with cartels. (They) are sometimes collaborating with cartels.” Sometimes Americans are at the border, sometimes not. ”
Mr. Sheinbaum indicated a week ago that he would write a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau. Although this has not been made public, she made public the letter she sent to Trump.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2024.
With files from The Associated Press and Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington
