As Mexico, US Head to Polls, Ottawa Won’t Commit to a Trilateral Summit in 2024

As Mexico, US Head to Polls, Ottawa Won’t Commit to a Trilateral Summit in 2024
United States President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listen to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speak during a joint news conference at the North American Leaders Summit, in Mexico City, on Jan. 10, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)
The Canadian Press
5/16/2024
Updated:
5/16/2024
0:00

Canada has yet to set a date for the North American Leaders’ Summit, raising the possibility it won’t take place this year.

Hosting duties rotate between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico for the annual series of meetings on transnational issues such as immigration and drug trafficking.

Canada agreed last year to host the next summit, and Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena said in February that it would take place in Quebec in April.

But Global Affairs Canada will not say whether it will take place this year, or where.

Mexico heads to the polls on June 2, while the U.S. election takes place Nov. 5.

Bruce Heyman, U.S. ambassador to Canada during the Obama administration, says it’s unlikely a summit will take place this year, though he says the most important thing is that the meeting eventually happen.