Canada is toughening its tone against Mexico as the premiers of Ontario and Alberta ask to consider excluding the country from talks intended to renew the North American trade agreement in 2026.
It is up to the Mexican government to think about what position it will take in the moments to come.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared Tuesday morning during a press conference in Rio de Janeiro on the occasion of the G20 summit.
Canada is making international trade a priority as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatens new tariffs and big Chinese investments in Mexico are seen as a backdoor way to bring in Chinese goods. in the North American market.
Canada and the United States have imposed high tariffs on goods made in China, including electric vehicles and steel and aluminum products. They both accuse China of overproduction and dumping.
In Brazil, Mr. Trudeau met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. It was their first meeting in person since her inauguration in October.
Immediately before this meeting, Mr. Trudeau publicly expressed his concerns about the level of Chinese investment in Mexico.
Mr. Trudeau told reporters Tuesday that he had directly underlined
this concern
with Ms. Sheinbaum during their meeting, adding that Canada wants to have a strong trade relationship that benefits all citizens of North America.
They have made certain choices and they are looking at how to reassure their partners [pour] that there is no [problèmes] compared to that
he added.
The importance of common rules
In Ottawa, when questioned at a press conference, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland did not explicitly indicate whether Canada plans to conclude a free trade agreement only with the United States.
Ms Freeland insisted on the importance, in a free trade zone, that the countries therein have common rules
as to what will transit there, especially since Beijing has an internal policy […] targeted towards our manufacturing industry [et] against our workers
.
This is why, she explained, Canada has taken measures fortes
against China and that it is aligned more than ever
on the United States.
Mexico has not taken the same measures regarding direct investments from China to Mexico and also regarding trade between Mexico and China
she took care to note in passing.
The Minister of Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, did not make a big plea in favor of Mexico either. On the contrary, he presented this country as a secondary relationship for the United States upon his arrival at the third meeting of the cabinet committee responsible for Canada-US relations.
In the North American economic space, when you look at the essential partners, the major partners in strategic supply chains, in growth, in security, it is Canada and the United States
he said.
After pleading the strength of strategic relationship
that Canada and the United States have in terms of the security of the North American continent, the resilience of supply chains and economic growth, he added that this is very different from what happens south of the border in the United States
.
Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman, who was present at the meeting, explained that Ottawa must be ready
to deal with the American neighbor, so essential to our security, our prosperity and everything we do
.
In the Conservative Party of Canada, the deputy leader in the House, Luc Berthold, refused to comment on this issue during a press conference, preferring to focus on the reasons for the paralysis of the Commons, which his party has been prolonging for more than ‘one month.
Without commenting directly, the deputy leader of the New Democratic Party, Alexandre Boulerice, explained that his party demands that the Liberals work to maintain good jobs […] unionized
and that it works to maintain supply management.
