Anand and Champagne look to reset Mexico relationship amid U.S. trade war
Finance minister says ties between 2 countries have 'never been stronger'
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne say they are "kickstarting" a bilateral economic relationship with Mexico during their visit this week.
The senior ministers travelled to Mexico City Tuesday in the midst of the ongoing trade war with the United States. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump upped tariffs on Canadian non-CUSMA-compliant goods to 35 per cent, but exempted Mexico for now, prompting questions about the different approach to the two countries.
Anand and Champagne spoke to reporters Tuesday evening after meeting with President Claudia Sheinbaum and other Mexican officials and business leaders.
The pair declined to comment on why the U.S. dealt another tariff blow to Canada and not Mexico during a virtual media availability, saying Canada and Mexico's trade and security relationship to the U.S. is different.
To compare the U.S.'s approach in trade negotiations with both countries, Anand said, would be "somewhat superficial."
Champagne said the focus of the ministers' meetings with Mexican officials and business leaders "was very much looking forward — how much we can do together."
While Canada and Mexico are partners in the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), they haven't collaborated together as much as they have with the neighbour they share: the U.S.
And the two countries haven't always been in harmony with previous CUSMA negotiations, at times leading both countries to prioritize their relationship with the U.S.
But it was clear Tuesday that Anand and Champagne are looking to reset the relationship.
"With Mexico, we are neighbours but we could get to know each other better," Champagne said.
He called the visit "a very successful trip … quite extraordinary, the depth and level of discussions we've had today."
The finance minister said that while they discussed their approaches to CUSMA, leading up to its review in 2026, he said they also talked about increasing partnerships on critical minerals, supply chains, cross-country investments, energy security — and even in the auto sector, which is currently deeply intertwined with the U.S.
Anand said the two countries were also looking into "port-to-port lines of trade."
"It's very much an all hands on deck approach to ensure that we are kickstarting the Canada-Mexican bilateral economic relationship," she said.
Sheinbaum posted three photos of the meeting on X Tuesday afternoon, saying, "We strengthened the relationship between our countries."
The trip is the first public, in-person meeting between Canadian and Mexican officials since Prime Minister Mark Carney was elected.
Carney has said he plans to travel to Mexico City in the fall to meet with Sheinbaum.
The two leaders met in June at the G7 leaders' summit in Alberta, where Sheinbaum gifted Carney a Huichol bead art soccer ball.
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With files from Raffy Boudjikanian