Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit Mexico this week to meet with its president Claudia Sheinbaum, as the two leaders seek to strengthen ties and increase their countries’ economic resilience in the face of U.S. tariffs.
Sheinbaum had visited Canada in June after receiving an invitation to attend the G7 Leaders’ Summit hosted by Carney in Kananaskis, Alberta.
“I’m looking forward to very comprehensive discussions with the Mexican president,” Carney said on Sept. 16 before a cabinet meeting in Ottawa. “It’s a great opportunity to get into depth on a wide range of issues.”
Carney said discussions would revolve around trade and security, among other issues. “Everything is on the table,” he said. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the visit on Sept. 18 and 19 will also focus on infrastructure, investment, and energy.
The trip will also serve to repair a fragile relationship that has been impacted by the election of U.S. President Donald Trump in November 2024, leading to significant tensions in the North American trade bloc.
Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico shortly after his election, saying the two countries were responsible for illegal migrants and illicit drugs pouring into the United States.
Canada and Mexico scrambled to avoid the punitive protectionist measures, while unilateral moves made by Canada did not sit well with Mexico, including comments from some Canadian politicians on seeking a bilateral deal with Trump.
Fast-forward almost a year, both countries remain under a similar tariff regime, being impacted by Trump’s duties related to border security concerns. Those tariffs, however, do not apply to goods covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement (USMCA).
Mexico was also granted a 90-day pause in August before its tariff rate was set to increase from 25 to 30 percent, contrary to Canada, which saw its rate rise to 35 percent on Aug. 1. Mexico had not retaliated to U.S. tariffs, while Canada did.
After Minister Anand concluded her meetings in Mexico City on Aug. 5, she was asked by reporters to comment on whether Sheinbaum had shared her strategy to obtain a better outcome than Canada.
“To parse out individual elements of one country’s negotiations versus our own is somewhat superficial, because the relationship is so very complex,” she said. “We really do need to understand that complexity drives the entire negotiation.”
Canada and Mexico are also impacted by Trump’s sectoral tariffs on metals and automobiles, and have been working to broaden other trade relationships in that context.
Meanwhile, Canada was Mexico’s fifth-largest merchandise trading partner in 2024, whereas Mexico is Canada’s third-largest merchandise trading partner.
Carney’s trip to Mexico will be the first to Latin America after several visits to Europe. After Mexico, the prime minister is expected to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where he said he will recognize Palestinian statehood.
