Canadian ministers meet with Sheinbaum during Mexico's efforts to maintain the USMCA agreement
In the face of strained trade relations with the United States, Canada and Mexico are actively working to deepen their ties. Recent developments highlight a series of high-level meetings aimed at strengthening economic, security, and trade ties within the North American region.
Early in August 2025, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne visited Mexico City for bilateral talks with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and other officials. The discussions centered on advancing shared priorities such as economic growth, security, trade diversification, resilient supply chains, digital economy initiatives, energy collaboration, and integrated trade infrastructure crucial to North America’s economy.
During the visit, ministers met with Canadian and Mexican business leaders active in North America’s integrated economy to foster cooperation in trade and supply chain resilience. Minister Anand also engaged with Mexico’s Senate Committees to strengthen parliamentary relations, signaling deeper institutional collaboration.
Mexican President Sheinbaum, however, explicitly ruled out the creation of a separate Mexico-Canada trade agreement, reaffirming the sufficiency and importance of the trilateral USMCA (also known as CUSMA) agreement. Instead, the focus is on expanding direct trade and cooperation within the existing framework and developing a Canada-Mexico bilateral work plan addressing sectors such as port-to-port trade, artificial intelligence, and security.
This visit and dialogue also lay the groundwork for the upcoming official visit by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to Mexico, which remains to be scheduled, signaling ongoing high-level commitment to this partnership.
President Sheinbaum had a phone conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on July 16, and she stated that the USMCA trade agreement needs to be respected following their conversation. She also wrote about strengthening the relationship between Mexico and Canada on a platform, although no specific details were provided.
The visit was hosted by President Sheinbaum at the National Palace, and Anand will participate in a joint session of the North American Committee and the Mexican Senate's Foreign Relations Committee to strengthen parliamentary relations further.
In summary, Canada and Mexico are advancing their strategic partnership amid US trade tensions through enhanced diplomatic and economic collaboration focused on strengthening North American supply chains, security, and trade integration without diverging from the USMCA agreement framework. They aim to build practical cooperation mechanisms and a shared work plan addressing key sectors to reinforce resilience and competitiveness in the region.
- The discussions between Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum highlighted the importance of strengthening the North American economy, with a focus on economic growth, security, trade diversification, digital economy initiatives, energy collaboration, and integrated trade infrastructure.
- Minister Anand's meeting with Canadian and Mexican business leaders underscored the need for cooperation in trade and supply chain resilience within North America's integrated economy.
- In light of the ongoing high-level commitment to strengthen the partnership, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled for an official visit to Mexico, further deepening the diplomatic and economic ties between the two nations within the framework of the USMCA agreement.
