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Is it safe to visit Mexico? What Canadians need to know about the 2024 travel advisory

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The Mexico travel advisory has been updated several times over the past year and includes several warnings at the start of 2024.

The Canadian government continues to advise travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in the North American country. Additionally, there are several regions they should avoid all travel to. 

Mexico is the second-largest tourist destination for Canadians after the United States and travellers from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) can enjoy affordable flights to hot spots like Cancun throughout the year. However, violent crime and kidnapping have been rapidly increasing in the country over the past several years.

In November 2023, the United Nations stated that over 100,000 people are currently missing in Mexico , characterizing the mass disappearances as "alarming," according to Reuters.

What do I do if I get kidnapped?

Canada warns that Mexico has one of the highest kidnapping rates in the world; it is a "serious security risk" for people who travel to this country. Although many tourist areas are considered safe, this issue is widespread. 

Many contracted Canadians working for Mexican businesses have been kidnapped but "kidnappers target all classes." They often work in areas that aren't under the control of security forces or police.

If you're kidnapped:

• comply with the kidnappers’ requests
• don’t attempt to resist

A second kind of kidnapping, called express kidnapping, occurs in large urban areas. Criminals ask for a small and immediate ransom and often work with taxi drivers (or pose as them). They force victims to use their debit or credit card to withdraw money from ATMs in exchange for their release.

• Use only a reputable taxi company or a trusted ride-sharing app
• Book taxis through your hotel or an authorized taxi stand ( sitio )

Do not travel to the Guerrero State

Although Hurricane Otis made landfall in Mexico in October 2023, parts of the country are still grappling with damages left in its wake.

People should completely avoid travelling to the Guerrero State due to the precarious security situation. There continues to be a threat of "armed violence, banditry, and looting in cities and on roads."

 The cities of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and Taxco are excluded from the advisory.

Updated Mexico travel advisory for Canada in 2024

In 2022, Canada and its neighbours south of the border issued updated  advisories for parts of Mexico  due to violent crime, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery. 

There continue to be high rates of these types of crime in popular tourist destinations such as the Mayan Riviera (Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, and Tulum), and Acapulco. Criminal groups and drug cartels are also present in tourist areas and bystanders can get caught in crossfire. 

Disputes between taxi and ridesharing application drivers may occur in these popular tourist destinations. Drivers generally don't target tourists but you "be caught up in these incidents and harassed or injured."

In Mexico City, government-authorized taxis have licence plates starting with “A” or “B." Other taxis at stands will have both the logo of their company and the plate number stamped on the side of the car. Official taxis in Mexico City are pink and white. Users can validate the pink and white taxis on the CDMX app.

Buses are relatively safe in the capital city but you should use VIP or executive class transportation when travelling to other cities.

Penalties for breaking the law in Mexico can be more severe than in Canada, even for similar offences. Travellers can be held in pre-trial detention with lengthy delays before a trial.

"Many petty crimes (such as public urination, failure to pay a bill or disorderly behaviour) can result in a 72-hour detention by police. Paying a fine can secure an early release from detention."

Smoking is prohibited in all public places except for clearly marked designated smoking areas. Some of the places tourists can no longer smoke in include beaches, parks, hotels, and restaurants. If you are caught smoking in public, you may be fined.

Avoid non-essential travel to these areas in Mexico

The Canadian government warns against non-essential travel to the following areas due to high levels of violence of violence and organized crime.

• all Chihuahua
• all Colima, except the city of Manzanillo
• all Coahuila, except the southern part of the state at and below the Saltillo-Torreón highway corridor
• all Durango, except Durango City
• Highway 45 between León and Irapuato
• the area south of and including Highway 45D between Irapuato and Celaya
• all Michoacán, except the city of Morelia
• the Lagunas de Zempoala National Park and surrounding areas
• the municipality of Xoxocotla
• the area within 20 km of the border with Sinaloa and Durango
• the city of Tepic
• all Nuevo León, except the city of Monterrey
• all Sinaloa, except the city of Mazatlán
• all Sonora, except the cities of Hermosillo and Guaymas/San Carlos and Puerto Peñasco
• all Tamaulipas
• all Zacatecas

What to do if you need help while you are in Mexico 

In case of an emergency in Mexico, dial 911. 

Contact roadside assistance if you run into an issue on a highway. The Angeles Verdes is a highway patrol service that provides free assistance on all major toll highways from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. 

To contact the Angeles Verdes,  download their App  on your mobile device. In case of an emergency, you can also dial 078 or 800 006 8839 (toll-free in Mexico) to reach them.

Canadians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact Global Affairs Canada's Emergency Watch and Response Centre by calling 001-800-514-0129 (toll-free from Mexico only), +1 613 996 8885, by text message at +1 613-686-3658, via WhatsApp at +1 613-909-8881, via Telegram at Canada Emergency Abroad or by  e-mail . 

What to do before you leave on your trip to Mexico 

Visit a travel medical clinic before you book a ticket. The healthcare professionals will inform you about what vaccinations you require and what you can expect on your trip. There are risks of contracting several viruses spread by mosquitoes including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.

Travellers should always check the latest advice from the government before they book a ticket from Vancouver to Mexico. They should also purchase a  comprehensive travel insurance policy  when they book their ticket, which will cover the cost of your ticket in case you can't leave due to an unforeseeable medical or other emergency reason. It will also cover incidents like missed connections, baggage interruption and loss, and more. 

Canadian travel advisories that have a "level three" or "level four" warning may be claimed under a trip cancellation and interruption plan. However, travellers can't claim insurance if they booked the flights or accommodation after the advisory was issued. 

You must fill out a tourist card to enter Mexico unless you plan to stay under 72 hours within the northern border zone. 

If you don’t obtain a tourist card upon arrival , you may face:

Canadians should always register trips that they take  online  before they leave so that the government can contact them in an emergency.

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Travelling to Mexico? One expert's advice for Canadians heading abroad

Mexico draws millions of international tourists each year with its sandy beaches, mountains, rainforests and rich culture.

But travelling anywhere can come with safety risks, as Canadians in the Mexican state of Sinaloa experienced last week following the Jan. 5 arrest of alleged drug trafficker Ovidio Guzman. Guzman is a son of former cartel boss Joaquin Guzman, also known as El Chapo. His capture resulted in explosions of violence in cities across the state, led by members of the Sinaloa cartel.

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As a result of the violence in Sinaloa, the Canadian government has issued an advisory warning travellers to avoid non-essential travel to several states in northern, western and central Mexico and to exercise a "high degree of caution" in other parts of the country.

Advisories urging Canadian visitors to use caution are also in place for countries including Jamaica, Brazil, Peru, El Salvador, Germany, the United Kingdom and others.

Here's some safety advice travel expert Natalie Preddie says you should follow if you're planning to travel abroad.

UNDERSTAND THE RISKS

Preddie said travellers should keep in mind there's always a risk they will encounter violence while abroad, no matter where in the world they are.

"When it comes to violence in different countries, we're going to see it in Mexico, all across the Caribbean," she told CTV's Your Morning on Monday. "Anywhere that you're going, there's always going to be some level of violence."

For that reason, she said Canadians should always confirm they have travel insurance when leaving the country. Travellers should also check for advisories for any country they're planning to visit, from both the Government of Canada and the government of the country they're travelling to. The Government of Canada lists travel advisories at travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories.

She added that travellers who understand the risks associated with the destinations they're headed to can be better prepared to use common sense and make safe choices while abroad.

"Have your wits about you," she said. "You want to make good decisions, no matter where you're going, for your personal safety and the safety of those that you're with."

SHARE YOUR PLANS

Preddie said travellers should always share their plans and whereabouts with someone at home, both before and during a trip. Canadians can even notify the federal government of their travel plans for free by registering at travel.gc.ca/travelling/registration .

"That way, if there are any evacuations or anything like that the government knows where you are, and can help you get out," she said.

The service also ensures travellers receive important information from the Government of Canada before or during a natural disaster or civil unrest.

‘MAKE GOOD DECISIONS’ TO ENJOY YOURSELF

Preddie pointed out that some Mexican destinations, including Cancun and Tulum, are excluded from the current travel advisory.

"Those areas which are very popular with Canadians right now have not been affected at all," she said. "And all over the Caribbean, all of these warm spots are good."

Unless the federal government advises against travelling to a destination, Preddie said Canadians with their sights set on a vacation abroad should go for it, taking the appropriate precautions.

"There is going to be some level of risk anytime you leave your home," she said. "So enjoy the sunshine. Just make good decisions.”

ONE CANADIAN'S EXPERIENCE

Among the Canadian tourists in Sinaloa when violence broke out last week were journalist and former Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak grand chief Sheila North, her two adult children and her two-year-old grandson.

Safely back in Canada on Monday, North told CTV’s Your Morning she was on a catamaran excursion with her family when they first noticed smoke rising from the city of Mazatlan.

"It was a beautiful day and we were all set for this excursion. Nothing unusual was going on…everyone was happy and talking," she said. "But as you got further into the water towards this island we were heading to, there were big black plumes of smoke on one end of the city, and then on the other side, there was another one."

North said staff on the boat didn't seem to know what was happening in the city. However, she began to understand as friends and family back home who were aware of her travel plans sent her updates via email and text message. Back on land after the excursion, she said the hotel was busier than ever.

"People (were) sleeping in the lobby, sleeping outside…and definitely, the mood was very tense that evening," she said.

North and her family were able to fly home to Winnipeg on Saturday – a day later than they had originally planned – and while she's glad they took the trip, she said she's happy to be home, safe.

Canadians abroad who need emergency consular assistance should contact Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre by calling 001-800-514-0129 (toll-free from Mexico only), +1 613 996 8885, by text message at +1 613-686-3658, via WhatsApp at +1 613-909-8881, via Telegram at Canada Emergency Abroad or by email at [email protected].

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Minister says Mexico isn't threatening trade consequences over new visa rules

Marc miller said lack of visa requirement drove up bogus asylum claims, stressed social supports for refugees.

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Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Mexico has not warned Canada that the trade relationship between the two countries will suffer as a result of Canada's decision to re-impose visa requirements on Mexican travellers.

"Mexico as a sovereign country is allowed to take the measures it wants to take," Miller said Thursday in Ottawa. "That said, I have not had any indication that they will be reacting on their end. 

"I did not have any indication when I spoke to the Mexican minister of foreign affairs there would be any trade repercussions."

CBC news first reported Wednesday that the visa requirement is being restored for Mexican travellers. The new rules will take effect on 11:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Mexico said it sent two "high-level missions" to Canada in recent weeks to express its concern about the effect the policy change will have on 60 per cent of Mexicans travelling to Canada.

"Mexico regrets this decision and believes that there were other options available before putting this measure in place," said a statement from the office of Secretary of Foreign Relations Adriana Bárcena. "Mexico reserves the right to act in reciprocity."

• 'Breaking point': Quebec premier asks Trudeau to slow influx of asylum seekers
• U.S. asks Canada to reimpose visa requirements for Mexico to stem surge of crossings at northern border
• Analysis U.S. Republicans are now warning: Migration from Canada is a problem

Miller said he knows Mexico is unhappy with the decision but the government had to act after a flood of failed asylum claims from Mexican nationals overwhelmed the refugee system and put a strain on social programs.

The "increase of illegitimate volumes and illegitimate claims that don't even have the prospect of succeeding does put a pressure on the system," he said. "It puts a pressure on the social supports that these people get simply by being on Canadian soil, so it has ripple effects across the system." 

Marc Miller explains why Ottawa is changing visa rules for Mexican nationals

Canada received more than 25,000 refugee claims from Mexican nationals last year, says the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada — a number Miller says represents 17 per cent of all refugee claims Canada received that year. 

Of those claims, 2,894 were accepted, 2,424 were rejected, 560 were abandoned and 1,240 were withdrawn by the applicants. Going into 2024, Canada had a backlog of more than 28,000 Mexican asylum claims. 

"Increased volume, low success rate — there's a problem that has nothing to do with the [Immigration and Refugee Board] and an independent judicial process," Miller said Thursday. "The government then has a right and then a duty to take action."

Ontario, Quebec, U.S. expressed concerns

Miller said his government made the decision partly in response to pressure from the United States, which raised concerns about Mexicans traveling visa-free to Canada and then crossing into the U.S. 

"We have seen a number of claimants cross from the northern part of the border into the United States," he said. "I won't exaggerate those flows but they are significant. They are nothing compared to what the U.S. is facing with respect to their southern border."

The minister said he was also motivated to clamp down after the provincial governments in Ontario and Quebec told him they were concerned about the rise in asylum seekers in their provinces.

• Does the visa requirement affect you or your family? Do you have questions about the new rules? Send an email to [email protected].

Last week, Quebec Premier François Legault wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking Ottawa to bring back the visa requirement for Mexican travellers.

"The possibility of entering Canada from Mexico without a visa certainly explains part of the influx of asylum seekers," the premier wrote.

The new rules facing Mexican travellers

As of 11:30 PM Thursday, Mexican citizens who hold valid U.S. non-immigrant visas or have held Canadian visas in the past 10 years, and are travelling to Canada by air, will be able to apply for electronic travel authorizations (ETA).

The ETA is a digital travel document that most visa-exempt travellers need in order to travel to or through Canada by air.

Mexican travellers who do not meet these conditions will have to apply for a visitor visa to enter Canada. 

• Lifting Mexican visa rules runs counter to official advice
• Trudeau looks for reset with Mexico, leadership role with Americas

The federal government said most approved visa applicants will get multiple-entry visas, allowing them to visit Canada as many times as they want over a period of 10 years, or until their passport expires.

Mexican nationals who want to work or study in Canada will not be affected by the changes, nor will the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program, the government said in a media statement. 

Mexicans with valid work or study permits who are outside Canada can still travel here by air with their existing ETAs, providing they're valid, and can continue to study or work in Canada based on the validity and conditions of their permits, the government said.

Poilievre says Mexico visa changes should have come sooner

Miller said Canada is expanding its network of visa application centres in Mexico to meet the demand.

The Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper imposed a visa requirement on Mexico in 2009 to stem the flow of asylum claims. The Trudeau government relaxed it in 2016 .

Speaking in Ottawa Thursday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Harper's visa regime "all but eliminated" false asylum claims from Mexico and the visa requirement "never should have been lifted by Trudeau."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Senior writer

Peter Zimonjic is a senior writer for CBC News. He has worked as a reporter and columnist in London, England, for the Daily Mail, Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph and in Canada for Sun Media and the Ottawa Citizen. He is the author of Into The Darkness: An Account of 7/7, published by Random House.

Related Stories

• Canada bringing back visa requirements for Mexican nationals to curb asylum seekers

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Canada-mexico partnership - 2021 annual report, table of contents, part i: message from the national co-chairs, part ii: profile and 2021 institutional report.

• Agri-business
• Creativity and culture
• Environment
• Human capital
• Trade, investment and innovation

As National Co-chairs, it gives us great pleasure to present the 2021 Annual Report of the Canada-Mexico Partnership (CMP). Seventeen years have passed since the instauration of this important bilateral mechanism. Throughout its history, the Partnership has demonstrated its ability to serve as a forum for political coordination through which dialogue between federal and state authorities, the private sector and civil society of both countries is fostered. This mechanism continues to be the fundamental pillar of our relation in economic, commercial, social, academic, and cultural affairs, among others.

Thanks to the CMP, multiple actors from various sectors meet annually, regardless of changes at the political level in our respective countries. The prevailing success of the CMP is due to its continuing adaptability to reflect the priorities established by the stakeholders. Its ultimate goal is to provide an exclusive forum to encourage greater participation of stakeholders who bring innovative visions to the bilateral relationship, in order to develop strategies to increase our economic competitiveness and improve bilateral cooperation in agri-business; creativity and culture; energy; environment; forestry; human capital; mining; and trade, investment, and innovation.

The 2021 Annual Report presents an exhaustive compilation of results from the 17th Annual Meeting of the Canada-Mexico Partnership. Due to the gradual lifting of the health security measures imposed given COVID-19 and in response to a world in transition to a post-pandemic era, this edition of the CMP, led by the Government of Mexico, was carried out in a hybrid mode, both face-to-face and virtually. On November 25, 2021, five (5) working groups held their respective sessions:

• Creativity and Culture
• Human Capital
• Trade, Investment, and Innovation

The Mining Working Group met in advance, on November 23; while the Agribusiness Working Group, by agreement of both delegations, held its meeting on April 4, 2022. During these sessions, the Co-chairs of each Working Group reviewed the achievements made during 2021 and advanced the collaborative priorities in each of the topics of mutual priority interest.

As in the 2020 edition, during the 17th Annual Meeting of the CMP, the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and Global Affairs Canada emphasized the importance that the participating working groups include a gender perspective in their work.

Furthermore, by initiative and with the support of both Embassies, members of the Canada – Mexico Youth Lab, an initiative aimed at increasing collaboration between youth of both countries, participated in the event. The young delegates had the opportunity to provide recommendations and project proposals during the CMP Co-chairs’ Roundtable. Both governments, as well as all the parties involved, recognized the importance of following up on the suggestions made by the group and incorporating their voices as agents of change in order to strengthen bilateral collaboration in multiple sectors.

We want to thank all the working groups for the tangible results they seek to deliver year after year and for their strategic vision to achieve more goals and formulate new objectives during 2022. The Canada-Mexico Partnership remains vitally important and continues to benefit from the contributions of the provinces and states, civil society, academia, and the private sector. We reiterate our sincere request that all the Groups include a gender perspective in their work plans for 2022 to contribute to building a relationship between our countries that recognizes and reduces inequalities. We also encourage all working groups to try to hold regular meetings to advance on shared priorities. Finally, we have no doubt that 2022 will be as or even more successful than previous years in the strengthening of the Canada-Mexico bilateral relationship.

Michael Grant Assistant Deputy Minister for the Americas Global Affairs Canada

Roberto Velasco Chief Officer for North America Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, Mexico

The CMP was launched in 2004 by the governments of Canada and Mexico as a bilateral initiative to promote public and private cooperation. It involves participants from the Canadian and Mexican governments, business sectors, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders. Eight working groups met within the framework of the CMP 2021, whose goal is to enhance collaboration in their respective sectors of interest. While each Working Group operates autonomously during the year, all CMP members gather for an annual meeting, which is hosted on an alternating basis by each country. The most recent meeting was organized by Mexico in a hybrid manner (face-to-face and virtual) on November 25, 2021.

Although the CMP involves a wide spectrum of actors from different government departments, the general coordination and management is jointly led by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE). The national Co-chairs are the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Americas at GAC and the Chief Officer for North America at the SRE.

From the beginning, the CMP was designed as a flexible entity, subject to ongoing revision and adjustment to best reflect the changing dynamics and priorities of our respective governments and societies. For instance, one of the acquired commitments during this edition was the creation of a Foreign Policy Working Group which will have as its main priority the broadening of the bilateral relationship towards a more integral, progressive and comprehensive vision as strategic actors for the efficient and effective functioning of the North American structure.

Ongoing revitalization and revision of the CMP is consistent with successful past practices and can further stimulate synergies and innovation, streamline working groups, and achieve greater involvement from various stakeholders, including state/provincial authorities, representatives from non-governmental organizations and academia.

Working groups and activities of the CMP

The activities of the working groups of the CMP define the efforts of the Partnership as a whole. Each working group is co-chaired by Canadian and Mexican senior governmental officials from the appropriate ministries and secretariats. Currently, the eight working groups are:

• Culture and Creativity
• Trade, Investment and Innovation

Canadian working groups Co-chairs are from the following institutions:

• Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC)
• Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA)
• Canadian Forest Service (CFS)
• Canadian Heritage (PCH)
• Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
• Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
• Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

Mexican working groups co-chairs are from the following institutions and agencies:

• Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID)
• National Agricultural Council (CNA)
• National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR)
• Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER)
• Secretariat of Culture (CULTURA)
• Secretariat of Economy (ECONOMIA)
• Secretariat of Energy (SENER)
• Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)
• Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE)
• The Mexican Business Council on Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (COMCE)

Annual Meetings of the CMP

Canada and Mexico alternate hosting duties each year. The Annual Meetings serve as a focal point for the reorientation of the activities of the working groups and, at the same time, present the opportunity for the Co-chairs to analyze the achievements, efficiency and future course for their collaborative efforts. The main objective of each Annual Meeting is to adopt and promote a strategic vision, as well as a work plan aligned with the priorities of the bilateral agenda.

Occasionally, some working groups hold joint meetings in order to share experiences, build partnerships, and identify and develop cross-cutting projects. The CMP also promotes the participation of other stakeholders in the Annual Meetings, including academic and private sector leaders from both countries and from the Canadian provinces and Mexican states, which in the past has led the participation of representatives from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Chihuahua, Jalisco, Morelos, and the State of Mexico.

Overall, the Annual Meeting serves as a space to highlight the impact of this Partnership on the bilateral relationship, in which all participants can exchange views, experiences and best practices. Furthermore, it provides a networking stage for all its members. The Canada-Mexico Partnership is the most important mechanism to promote the bilateral relationship.

The CMP has held the following annual meetings:

• Ottawa, Ontario - October 25 2004
• Vancouver, British Columbia - September 30 2005
• Mexico City, F.D. - March 7, 2007
• Kanata, Ontario - March 4-5, 2008
• Jiutepec, Morelos - March 23-24, 2009
• Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario - April 19-20, 2010
• Mexico City, F.D. - April 7-8, 2011
• Ottawa, Ontario - May 29-30, 2012
• Mexico City, F.D. - July 8-9, 2013
• Calgary, Alberta - September 8-10, 2014
• Mexico City, CDMX - November 25-26, 2015
• Ottawa, Ontario - December 23-24, 2016
• Mexico City, CDMX - November 23-24, 2017
• Ottawa, Ontario - October 11-12, 2018
• Mexico City, CDMX - November 27-28, 2019         
• Virtual Meeting (organized by Canada) - November 26, 2020
• Hybrid Meeting, CDMX/virtual - November 25, 2021 

Part III - Reports of the working groups

Agri-business working group, canadian co-chairs.

Kathleen Donohue Assistant Deputy Minister, International Affairs Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)

Keith Currie First Vice President Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA)

Mexican Co-chairs

Santiago Argüello Campos Acting General Coordinator of Agriculture Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER)

Humberto Jasso Torres Vice President of Foreign Trade National Agriculture Council (CNA)          

Introduction and objectives

Three topics, jointly proposed and mutually agreed to, were addressed during the session to create opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses and promote even greater engagement and increased agri-food trade between Canada and Mexico.

Theme 1: Opportunities and challenges in trade flows

The Agribusiness Working Group of the Canada-Mexico Partnership (ABWG) recognized the importance of continuing to work through strategic alliances and maintaining free trade, avoiding unnecessary barriers, as well as jointly defending and promoting the spirit of the CUSMA/T-MEC/-USCMA.

Concerns were expressed about possible restrictions on regional trade that could be imposed by the United States, with measures such as seasonal produce and country-of-origin labeling.

The inclusion of Indigenous communities within the Canada-Mexico agriculture trade relationship is an initiative that implies a win-win situation for both countries with regard to promoting the economic development of Indigenous Peoples through the diversification of markets for their export products, without distinction of size or origins.

Theme 2: Labour topics

The ABWG recognized the ongoing labour force shortage in North America and globally. The group discussed what each country is doing respectively to attract workers to the agriculture and agri-food sectors.

ABWG members, recognized the importance of the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program to the Canadian agriculture sector and to Mexican labourers. Participants agreed the TFW program should continue.

The ABWG recognized the hard work that has been carried out and led by the National Agricultural Council to comply with the labour obligations within the framework of the CUSMA/T-MEC/-USCMA, and its efforts to promote social responsibility within the agricultural sector.

Regarding the impact of energy on Mexico’s domestic agricultural sector, Mexico indicated that the Secretariat of Energy has granted permits to industry for the co-generation of energy using sugar cane as a source for biomass, which is in line with the bio-economy policy goals of the Mexican Administration.

Theme 3: National and international pesticide initiatives

Both countries pointed out the importance of maintaining and prioritizing the dialogue on science innovations, including the use of glyphosate to jointly address production needs, taking into account the challenges producers face, such as the effects of the pandemic, labour shortages in the agriculture workforce, and the value chain impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including significantly higher prices for all crop inputs.

It was recognized that sustainability is an outcome of great importance for both countries, and warrants greater dialogue, with realistic actions, as well as close communication to address the challenges faced by both countries to generate joint solutions.

Participants were informed that Mexico’s National Institute of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Research (INIFAP) has been conducting field trials over the past year to identify alternatives for the use of glyphosate as mandated in the Decree that was published on December 31, 2020. These include mechanical weed control and other herbicides approved by COFEPRIS, some with an organic designation, or a mix of herbicides and tillage. However, so far, none of these have been found to be feasible alternatives in terms of the cost-benefit analysis for replacing glyphosate. 

As part of the Decree, Mexico indicated it is establishing volume quotas to limit imports of glyphosate to what is needed to satisfy domestic demand until a feasible alternative for glyphosate can be identified.

It was acknowledged that glyphosate is a key input for the production of corn and noted that Mexico is working to increase its self-sufficiency of yellow corn by doubling its current production yields by 2024.This will reduce imports by 8 million tons of the estimated total of 18 million tons of imports

Gender perspective

ABWG participants agreed to identify actions for the benefit of women and marginalized groups.

Future actions

The Mexican private sector suggested developing a work plan to pre-empt and, if necessary, mitigate the trade risks of the United States unilaterally imposing seasonal produce and country of origin labeling measures, including an analysis of dates, events and initiatives.

Both delegations agreed to exchange information and collaborate jointly on issues of mutual interest (i.e., seasonal produce and country of origin labelling).

The ABWG agreed to develop a work plan that includes activities to share agricultural practices, experiences and programs (for example, Canada’s living laboratory) to further strengthen commercial relationships, as well as greater inclusion of Indigenous communities and small producers.

An exhibition of selected products will be organized within the framework of the 18th Annual Meeting of the Canada-Mexico Partnership. Canada will organize the CMP and work with Mexico to bring together the Indigenous communities of both countries. Mexico will organize the exhibition of select Mexican Indigenous products.

Canada and Mexico agreed on the importance of the labour issue, for which they agreed to exchange information and collaborate jointly on this topic.

The Canadian Grain Council offered to share its experience on the reclamation and improvement of degraded soils through virtual seminars and sharing Canada’s experience with the living lab model.

Mexico named Briegel Ortiz from the Secretariat of Agriculture and Norberto Valencia from the National Agricultural Council, as points of contact for Mexico, to follow up on the agreements and future work. Canada committed to provide points of contact for this purpose.

Challenges and opportunities

ABWG participants recognized the CUSMA/T-MEC/ USCMA presents many opportunities and challenges. One common area of concern is the potential surge of trade remedy actions and investigations by the United States (U.S.) such as the United States’ seasonal produce plan and implementation of country-of-origin labeling. Both sides committed to sharing information and continuing to collaborate on these topics, since we are complementary trading nations, and it is critical that trade flows freely as agreed by CUSMA/T-MEC/-USCMA and in the WTO.

The ABWG emphasized the need to carry out better planning and mapping of the workforce in the agri-food sector value chains, in order to document safety requirements, and the economics and availability of agricultural employment by region, to have better information available for decision making in the sector.

Taking into account labour force shortages, it is necessary to continuously identify areas for improvement for the benefit of temporary workers.

The public and private sectors of both countries recognized that agricultural labour force shortages in North American are highly worrisome regionally as well as worldwide. These must be addressed jointly, by sharing successful experiences and by making proposals for solutions to the problems in order to maintain and increase food supplies competitively with a positive social impact.

Both countries reaffirmed that farmers face similar challenges (environmental, social and economic) and opportunities in North America to continue to sustainably develop the grain and oilseed industry with a smaller environmental footprint. The best way to address this is to work together with private sector initiatives and governments, in a quadripartite manner, to increase productivity and competitiveness with a focus on sustainability and recognizing the importance of the public benefits of clean water, healthy soil, biodiversity and thriving Indigenous communities. To help realize these benefits, Mexico, like Canada is also promoting the use of conservation tillage practices, which are being adopted in certain production regions.

Creativity and Culture Working Group

Canadian co-chair.

Madona Radi Director General of the International Trade Branch Canadian Heritage (CH)

Mexican Co-chair

Pablo Raphael de la Madrid Director General of Cultural Promotion and Festivals Secretariat of Culture (SC)

The Creativity and Culture Working Group (CCWG) held its annual meeting on November 25, 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was hosted by Mexico in a virtual format. The Mexican delegation was led by Pablo Raphael de la Madrid, Director General of Cultural Promotion and Festivals, Mexican Secretariat of Culture, while the Canadian delegation was led by Madona Radi, Director General of the International Trade Branch, Department of Canadian Heritage.

The CCWG had a robust meeting agenda and attracted over 55 participants, reflecting the countries’ interest in cultural cooperation. The Canadian delegation was represented by officials from Canadian Heritage, Global Affairs Canada, the Embassy of Canada in Mexico, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and the portfolio agencies of Canadian Heritage, the National Film Board and the Canada Council for the Arts.

The Mexican delegation was represented by officials from the Secretariat of Culture, the Centre of Digital Culture, the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE), the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL), the National Copyright Institute (INDAUTOR), the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Mexico in Canada and Mexican delegates from the Canada-Mexica Youth Lab.

The Annual Meeting presented an opportunity to deliver presentations, review the existing Action Plan and find common areas of interest to guide the work in year 2022, such as: digital platforms and cultural activities; collective rights; cinema; conservation of cultural heritage; artistic education and artistic residencies, among others.

Likewise, the possibility of carrying out actions not only bilaterally but also regionally with the Pacific Alliance in terms of strengthening human capital was also addressed.

• Mexico thanked the Canadian Government for all the information provided on the Indigenous languages law as part of the information Mexico requested to follow up on the 2021 action plan.
• Mexico shared its experiences implemented against the impact of COVID-19 such as the cultural content platform “Contigo en la distancia”, the Functions Bank, the National Registry of Artists “Telar” and the Creative Mexico Initiative.
• Canada presented on its experience in Indigenous filmmaking. The National Film Board (NFB) highlighted its collaboration with an Indigenous advisory group made up of experts in production, distribution, community outreach, curators, public policies and Indigenous writers. The NFB spoke about its initiative to generate Indigenous language versions of all its Indigenous work and give free access to these versions to Canadian Indigenous communities, recognizing the importance of language preservation. In 2021, NFB managed to: increase the amount allocated to Indigenous creators to 14% of the budget, have 10 Indigenous works in production, increase by 1.25% the representation of the NFB’s Indigenous staff, whose goal is achieving 4% of overall staff by 2025, and create Indigenous film platform.
• Canada shared its experience towards recovery of the creative economy by highlighting that the creative industries are a key sector of the Canadian economy. In 2020, Canadian Heritage developed a COVID-19 monitoring framework and a survey to reflect the results of the emergency fund, which showed that the additional funding obtained through the fund helped many organizations to remain open for operations to pay for workers’ salaries and costs to adapt their business models, such as implementing digital transformation. Canada shared that their next steps are: Conduct the spring 2022 fund recipient survey and work with stakeholders to meet the needs of these groups during and after the pandemic.
• Regarding the digital space, Mexico commented on the laboratory dedicated to building a digital pathway between Canada and Mexico for the development of capacities for public officials in Mexico and highlighted that this initiative was the result of the exchanges made in past meetings of the CMP’s CCWG. It was also mentioned that the topics of interest are: to prepare collectively with the Mexican states proposals to modernize legislation to include audiovisual communication services on the Internet; to consider the promotion of the production of national and/or regional content, competition and simplification of access to markets to have similar tax schemes for similar services; and to guarantee the rights to privacy and protection of personal data.
• On the subject of reactivating the creative industry, Mexico reported that, as of 2019, IMCINE launched the Stimulus for Audiovisual Creation in Mexico and Central America for Indigenous and Afro-descendant Communities (ECAMC), an economic stimulus for the production and post-production of short and feature-length fiction and documentary films.
• Canada shared that they have created the Multi-Sectorial Working Group in the Diversity of Online Content, which includes government, industry and civil society members.
• Mexico shared experiences in the cultural and creative sector, highlighting the work with the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru), with whom it has worked on a program to strengthen human capital in the cultural and creative sector to understand public policies for strengthening the human capital of cultural and creative artistic occupations in each of the countries of the Pacific Alliance; the characterization and sectoral measurement of the human capital of artistic and cultural and creative occupations and professions and trades; the analysis of the existing human capital gap so as not to westernize traditional cultural practices; the configuration of governance mechanisms for artistic occupations; and visibility of the progress to generate interest among more allies.
• Canada shared its experience in the promotion and protection of arts and cultural expressions of Indigenous Peoples. Over the past three years, the Department of Canadian Heritage has carried out various projects to promote the protection of Indigenous arts and cultural expressions. The projects address issues related to the correct appropriation of these cultural signs as well as certain tools and approaches that have been developed to protect indigenous art, culture and expressions. It was noted that work is underway to create a guide for the Government of Canada and Indigenous Peoples to work together and implement the declaration that promotes and protects their work. On copyright, the Canadian Parliament recommends consulting with Indigenous expert groups and allies regarding the promotion of artistic and cultural expressions.
• It was noted that the protection of traditional cultural expressions continues to be discussed at the World Intellectual Property Organization. In 2021, a compendium of experiences on issues of misuse of artistic expressions and tools that have emerged for their protection was published. This year, a group of experts will be formed to support case studies on misuse or misappropriation of different works.
• Mexico shared the following experiences and actions in this area: the development of a strategy for the defense of collective rights, the construction of best practices to understand the defense of collective rights in the fashion industry, the creation of project “Original” that seeks to link textile and fashion designers of Indigenous Peoples with transnationals and international brands.
• The Mexican National Copyright Institute (INDAUTOR) remarked a reform to copyright legislation to prevent the free use of cultural expressions. This protection consists of returning to the owners of traditional cultural expressions the power to decide whether they may be used by different persons. In this sense, the law imposes administrative sanctions in case of lack of written authorization from the people and/or the community. An Repository has been developed, a tool for case studies of Mexico that has suffered more plagiarism and cultural misappropriation with its Indigenous communities, with the intention of having documents that support legislative actions from the Government of Mexico. Surveys will be used to obtain information on the impacts and expectations of artisans and the general public.
• Mexico presented the digital platform, Lugares INAH, a portal dedicated to showcasing Mexico’s cultural diversity through the extensive network of museums and archeological sites under the responsibility of the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH).
• The conservation of Mexico’s artistic heritage is a priority task for the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL).
• Canada supports the collaboration of the Canadian Conservation Institute to share knowledge. They have a new strategic plan, from 2021 to 2026, that will soon be shared with the public.
• Mexico commented on the artistic promotion and research activities that have been consolidated to serve diverse populations, including young people from Indigenous communities. Music, and Mexican and folkloric dance were included from a more anthropological perspective generated by the students’ own knowledge of the contact they have with the original peoples in Mexico.
• Canada shared its experience in policies and programs to support non-profit arts. Based on providing access for Canadians to have experiences in their communities, that arts organizations can operate productively and seek to promote excellence in this field. Their primary mechanism is the Canadian Arts Training Fund which is a national program that supports programs with artistic significance for the next generations at the national level.
• Regarding the agreement for artistic residencies, Mexico’s System of Support for Creation and Cultural Projects is in the process of renewing the memorandums of understanding for artistic residencies for Mexican creators in Canadian centers and the exchange for Canadian artists to come to different parts of Mexico to carry out residencies. The Los Pinos Cultural Complex is adapting the spaces to receive these residencies. It is planned to launch the call for 2022 in which the 2 artistic centers (Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and Quebec Arts and Letters Council) are considered for these residencies.
• Canada mentioned the importance of each country maintaining its cultural identity by actively supporting the creative industries. In addition to CUSMA, there are different cooperation frameworks that are used to promote the exchange of cultural goods in the hemisphere, and in this regard, the Canada-Mexico Partnership represents a fitting avenue to strengthen the policies of bilateral economic ties and to continue the dialogue on issues of common interest.
• The inclusion of gender issues in some of the projects was discussed, as in the case of Indigenous cinema and human capital strengthening.
• The Department of Canadian Heritage shared a document on gender parity and various federal commitments and their results in the 2019-2020 period, especially in the country’s audiovisual sector.
• In Mexico, the ECAMC economic stimulus has always sought gender parity for indigenous and Afro-descendant creators. Currently, 25 of the 50 projects selected by IMCINE have been directed by women.
• Mexico expressed its interest in learning about gender policies in Canada’s cultural sector.
• Mexico expressed interest in working on joint projects and having more information from Canada on intellectual property issues.
• Within the framework of the digital space, Mexico contemplates, as a final result, a roadmap where a plan of action towards 2024 will be reflected upon, considering the collaboration of the states in Mexico and the follow-up of the Secretariat of Culture of Mexico in the area of digital policies with the support of Canada.
• The parties agreed to hold future meetings to discuss the possible exchange of experiences in terms of accessibility and Indigenous audiovisual promotion. Mexico expressed great interest in collaborating to promote training, accessibility, research, production and dissemination of Indigenous cinema and how to become a reference in these areas.
• Canada invited Mexico to participate in holding follow-up meetings to discuss the Multi-Sectorial Working Group on the diversity of online content.  Both parties agreed.
• Mexico invite Canada to discuss its possible participation in project “Original”, an annual meeting space that brings together master artisans, traditional and non-traditional designers with national and international companies where they can work in fair and ethical manners and exhibit the artistic work of the peoples and creative communities of Mexico.
• Promote institutional rapprochement in the area of collective rights to discuss, compile and share information on both legislations, as well as cases and experiences.
• Continue discussions on renegotiation of the bilateral film and audiovisual co-production treaty that represents a major step towards the modernization of the existing Canada-Mexico treaty.
• The Canadian Embassy will explore which Canadian institutions or agencies can collaborate on cultural tourism issues in order to share the INAH Places platform.
• In the bilateral relationship, it is suggested to promote and value the cultural heritage of both countries to protect it, so the collaboration and cooperation that may exist in terms of memorandums of understanding or instruments in the future will allow working in this line of heritage protection.
• Consider holding the next CCWG meeting before September 2022with the intention of generating a space to reflect on the Mondiacult agenda and to be able to influence the agenda of the final instrument, considering that the issues addressed today are an extremely important part of the global cultural agenda.
• Canada was invited to accompany the Human Capital Strengthening project as an observer country of the Pacific Alliance.
• Mexico is working on a permanent seminar on collective rights and offered to share its case studies on plagiarism and cultural misappropriation in other Canadian forums.
• Mexico proposes to exchange information on new materials, experiences and techniques for the care of the collections. In addition to taking advantage of the technological facilities to carry out courses, workshops, conferences and discussions to share experiences and improve knowledge for the care of movable artistic heritage.
• Canada is open to partnering and collaborating with opportunities for digital exchange in conservation.
• Canada is open to dialogue and information exchange with Mexico on policies and programs to support the non-profit arts.
• Canada shows interest in the subject of artistic residencies through the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
• Work on a mechanism to reactivate the cultural sector following the impact that COVID-19 dealt to Mexico’s cultural economy.
• Include Indigenous communities;
• Conduct workshops and exhibitions of temporary exchanges of artistic pieces and crafts of the living cultures of both countries during 2022 in museums. Creation of the International Festival of Indigenous Arts;
• Provide opportunities for aspiring artists through artistic residencies between art schools in both countries;
• Provide workshops on inclusive art by artists with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community.
• Seek a specific space for reflection where Mexico can learn more about how Canada developed the exception clause around the topic of culture in CUSMA.
• Mexico is interested in sharing and integrating its academic arts programs with Canada’s learning and teaching experiences.
• It is important to include youth and Indigenous Peoples in different subjects such as film.
• A great challenge in the digital strategy is the work on metadata, the generation of common indicators and the topics raised at this meeting.
• It is vital to improve or strengthen human capital, particularly for the creative economy, education and artistic residencies.
• Canada is interested in continuing to work with Mexico next year to identify ways to bring the United States into the conversation about North American cultural identity and what Canada can do for Mondiacult 2022.
• Another issue to address in future meetings is the illicit trafficking of goods from countries that are cultural powers with Indigenous Peoples, such as Mexico and Canada. We are obliged to defend this heritage from the global phenomenon of illicit trafficking of pieces or the illegal auctioning of goods.

The CCWG annual meeting focused on the 6 following themes; youth, Indigenous Peoples; digital strategy; human capital (creative economy, residencies); protection of cultural heritage; and working together for inclusion and diversity in the framework of a common regional identity (Canada-Mexico-USA).

The co-chairs committed to working together to make the Working Group’s Action Plan more results oriented and divide activities into three (3) main themes:

• Collaboration

Both parties committed to continuing the sharing of information and best practices on how to reactivate our creative economies, as the world slowly comes out of the pandemic. The parties will pursue ad hoc opportunities throughout the year to meet before November 2022 to build on more tangible deliverables at the working-level; for example, by meeting on items such as copyright, Indigenous arts and cultural expressions; digital strategy, and diversity of content online.

Environment Working Group

Jeanne-Marie Huddleston Director General, Bilateral Affairs and Trade Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Miguel Ángel Zerón Cid Head of the International Affairs Unit Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)

The Environment Working Group (EWG) of the Canada-Mexico Partnership (CMP) is the main mechanism for identifying issues of common interest in environmental protection and collaboration on bilateral initiatives.

The EWG virtually met on November 25, 2021, with the objective of reflecting on the activities of the 2021 Work Plan (environmental cooperation through trade agreements, sound management of chemicals, pesticides and hazardous wastes, capacity building for wastewater treatment plants workers, nature based solutions to address climate change and stakeholder engagement) as well as discussing potential new areas for future collaboration. The session was virtually co-chaired by Jeanne-Marie Huddleston, Director General of Bilateral Affairs and Trade at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Miguel Angel Zerón Cid, Head of the International Affairs Unit in Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). The EWG welcomed over 50 participants, from across ECCC and SEMARNAT, in addition to representatives from Parks Canada, Mexico’s National Commission on Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), the Embassy of Canada in Mexico, the Embassy of Mexico in Canada, provincial representatives (AB, ON and QC), and two delegates of the Canada-Mexico Youth Lab.

For the coming year, the EWG discussed opportunities for collaboration under the following themes:

• Nature-based solutions to address climate change and conserve biodiversity carried out primarily through the development of a workplan under an existing Canada-Mexico Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Parks Canada and CONANP;
• Co-hosting a second edition of the successful illegal trafficking workshop, potentially on sharks and stingrays, with other CPTPP member states; and,
• Co-hosting a regional workshop on clean transportation in the Americas.

Additionally, as a crosscutting objective, the EWG agreed to include Youth, Indigenous Peoples and Gender Equality as part of its bilateral environmental cooperation.

Participation of the Canada-Mexico Youth Lab

The Embassy of Canada in Mexico and the Embassy of Mexico in Canada co-created the Canada-Mexico Youth Lab, an initiative to increase collaboration between Canadian and Mexican youth. Over the year 2021, the youth held monthly policy discussions between government officials and young delegates on topics of bilateral interest, including on the topic of environment, which was held in October. The objective for Canada-Mexico Youth Lab representatives is to provide recommendations for the Environment Working Group’s annual work plan. Sumira Bothé, Youth Delegate for Canada and, Andrea Gutiérrez, Youth Delegate for Mexico, delivered a joint presentation on three (3) priority areas for Canada-Mexico environmental cooperation:

• Electrifying Society
• Land Sovereignty
• Eco-labeling

For instance, the two youth delegates recommended for Canada and Mexico to divert the use of fossil fuels towards the creation of electricity grids, recognize the role of Indigenous Peoples as guardians of traditional territory and to seek opportunities to better calculate the carbon footprint of products.

Inclusion of youth, Indigenous Peoples, and gender equality

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) have identified the inclusion of youth, Indigenous Peoples, and gender equality as shared bilateral priorities for Canada and Mexico. The objective of this presentation is to outline these three bilateral priorities and to discuss how these can be incorporated into the 2021-2022 work plan as overarching topical priorities, which will guide next year’s work. The expected outcome is to ensure engagement from youth and Indigenous Peoples across the EWG cooperation initiatives, as well as gender equality. As host of the 2021 EWG, Mr. Zerón delivered a presentation discussing the three overarching principles and their respective rationale.

Nature-based solutions to address climate change and conserve biodiversity

The Parks Canada Agency (PCA) and the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) share a Memorandum of Understanding, signed in October 2019. In 2020, both entities were developing a work plan to guide their proposed cooperation. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the work plan and its associated timelines required to be updated. Both the PCA and CONANP provided a status update on the joint work plan and signaled priority areas in which the CMP could serve as a tool to facilitate the implementation of the work plan. Ashley Campbell, Director, Heritage Designations and Programs, Parks Canada and Eduardo Robelo, Deputy Director of Alternative Productive Projects, CONANP, delivered a joint presentation on the 2022- 2023 work plan proposes cooperation under four (4) themes:

• Habitat restoration
• Environmental awareness-raising and education
• Climate change
• Coastal marine resources

Among the collaborative activities, the parties will share best practices and knowledge on monitoring priority species, discuss methodologies for the analysis of Blue Carbon sequestration in protected areas, as well as exchange experiences on climate change adaptation in coastal and marine protected areas.

Environmental cooperation through trade agreements

On March 3-4, 2021, ECCC and SEMARNAT co-lead the first Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Workshop on Combating Illegal Trade of Wildlife Species: Illegal Trade of Turtles and Tortoises. The workshop was successful in securing the participation of over 180 representatives (from 8 out of 11 CPTPP members). As an outcome of the first workshop Canada and Mexico would like to seek the organization of a second edition of the workshop in 2022. Iris Jiménez Castillo, Deputy Director General for International Cooperation, International Affairs Unit, SEMARNAT presented the proposal for a second edition of the workshop with a focus on stingrays and sharks using joint forms of collaboration for the care of marine species, new technologies, exchange experiences, as well as practical case studies. This workshop will seek to strengthen the mechanisms for CPTPP countries to conserve marine species.

Clean transportation

The transition to clean mobility presents an opportunity for the Americas to tackle and address climate change. Nonetheless, the topic of clean transportation solutions continues to lack awareness and incentives. Agustí Bordas-i-Cuscó, Manager, Pan-American Affairs, Americas Division, ECCC delivered a presentation on a joint-led regional dialogue to present clean mobility solutions for the Americas and present opportunities to transition into net-zero transportation solutions. This hybrid event seeks to gather government representatives, experts, and international organizations with expertise on clean transportation to support creating a network to exchange best practices, policies, and knowledge on sustainable transportation and build on their knowledge of key subjects including but not limited to policy, finance and technology solutions.

Canada and Mexico thanked the youth delegates for their interventions and recognized the importance of youth involvement in advancing common sustainability goals. Both Co-chairs highlighted specific policy actions in which Canada and Mexico have worked domestically and internationally to address the three policy areas highlighted in their presentation. Both Canada and Mexico, recognized the importance of international targets to attain greenhouse emission reduction and that these will be priority focus. The parties recognized the work of the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) Traditional Environmental Knowledge Expert Group (TEKEG) in advancing Indigenous perspectives in trilateral work with the United States. The Co-chairs emphasized that the EWG will ensure the inclusion of youth, Indigenous Peoples and gender equality will remain a priority.

Canada and Mexico agreed that the inclusion of youth, Indigenous Peoples and gender perspectives will be overarching principles in our environmental cooperation. Both countries will ensure that the appropriate representation of these groups is reflected in the design and implementation of any bilateral undertakings. The parties agreed on amplifying best practices from domestic and regional initiatives such as Mexico’s "Territory Guardians Program", the "José Revueltas” educational center in the Marías Islands, Canada’s experience with GBA+ analysis, the Indigenous Guardians program and the environment education initiative being developed under the framework of the CEC. Parties also agreed to establish a mechanism to measure representative participation in activities jointly developed and implemented by both countries.

As a next step, PCA and CONANP will finalize the work plan and establish a calendar of activities to support the 2022-2023 work plan, by first establishing a priority-specific meeting between subject-matter experts. Both agencies will also find opportunities to complement trilateral work with the United States and align aspects of the work plan with other initiatives. Cooperation activities are estimated to start in the first trimester of 2022. The Environment Working Group, specifically SEMARNAT and ECCC, will support the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding sharing expertise, facilitate information and knowledge exchange on biodiversity, climate change, and promote public environmental education, particularly through the involvement of Indigenous and local communities on protected areas.

Canada and Mexico will collaborate in the delivery of a second virtual workshop on the illegal trade of protected species to be held virtually during the spring of 2022. This will be an opportunity to, once again, showcase Canada and Mexico’s co-leadership on environment and trade, particularly amongst CPTPP members. Canada will conduct internal consultations within ECCC and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) on the proposed topic. Following the completion of the consultations, Canada and Mexico will jointly develop a concept note and seek the interest of other CPTPP members.

Canada and Mexico also agreed to work together to hold a regional Clean Transportation workshop with partners in the Americas. The proposed workshop will seek to advance Canadian and Mexican priorities related to climate change, clean air and sustainable transportation. Canada and Mexico agreed that as part of their next steps for the development of this initiative will finalize the development of the event’s concept note with the input from both Canada and Mexico, secure a date and venue for the event and develop a topical agenda and identify the respective speakers and stakeholders.

The EWG facilitated a successful virtual session, which benefitted from the participation of a wide range of experts. Over 50 participants from both Canada and Mexico, with different areas of expertise, attended the working group meeting. The 2021 edition of the EWG recorded the highest number of participants in its history. The diverse group of participants allowed for informative discussions that led to the identification of opportunities for synergies among attendees.

The COVID-19 global pandemic was identified as an underlying challenge for the bilateral and regional engagements of the Canada-Mexico Partnership. Both parties agreed that, during 2022, these engagements would be limited to virtual engagements and travel will be considered whenever appropriate and following health and travel guidelines.

The activities identified will contribute to the strengthening of institutional capacities to face emerging environmental and climate change challenges.

Forestry Working Group

Monique Frison

Director General, Trade, Economics and Industry Branch Canadian Forest Service (CFS)

Camilo Oviedo Bautista Head of the International Affairs and Financing Promotion Unit National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR)

The Working Group on Forestry was continuously active throughout the year, with notable success in the priority area of wildland fire management collaboration. There is consensus in the Working Group that the Canada-Mexico Partnership provides an important institutional mechanism to systematize cooperation, convene and strengthen partnerships, and promote the integration of science and policy. Thanks to this collaboration, the working group has exchanged information, human resources, and contributed to the strengthening of technical capacities in priority areas of work for both countries.

The WG on Forestry also noted the IX North American Leaders' Summit held on November 18th, 2021 and the fundamental role of forests in generating a green, equitable and inclusive economic recovery as well as meeting conservation targets

The Working Group on Forestry held meetings throughout the year and on November 25, 2021, convened experts from Canada and Mexico to report on the three priority areas of collaboration for 2020-2021. Priority areas for 2022-23 were also identified and representatives of the Canada-Mexico Youth Lab were given the opportunity to present and propose areas of collaboration.

Priority areas of work reported by the Working Group on Forestry include:

Forest carbon accounting

Wildland fire management, building with wood, new areas of collaboration.

It was recognized that during 2021 exchanges and concrete actions between Canada and Mexico were limited in this area. However, the Annual Meeting provided the opportunity for both countries to share information and activities developed and carried out in their respective countries. This exchange resulted in a starting point to reactivate Forest Carbon accounting collaboration in 2022.

Canada briefly presented the history of bilateral collaboration, noting that over the past 12 years they have conducted training workshops and developed numerous publications with different government agencies. They also presented relevant information on the Generic Carbon Budget Model (GCBM) and examples of its application, highlighting collaboration with U.S. partners, and noting that recent collaboration with Mexico was carried out tri-nationally within the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

Canada highlighted some lessons learned, particularly the need for long-term commitments, the importance of open-source tools and local technical expertise and capacity. In addition, potential next steps for bilateral collaboration were suggested, including:

• continued tri-national collaboration with the United States;
• obtaining support from SilvaCarbon with an expert to assist with work to quantify mitigation options for the forest sector;
• identifying needs from Mexico to support policy analysis;
• jointly developing a work plan; and securing resources for the work to continue.

Mexico presented CONAFOR's actions regarding the evaluation of climate change mitigation in the Mexican forest sector – in particular, two (2) aspects:

• the reduction of CO2 emissions from avoided deforestation due to the implementation of institutional programs, such as the incorporation of areas in forest management and the payment for forest services program, and
• the increase in forest carbon stocks in areas incorporated into sustainable forest management. The presentation emphasized the methodology of the assessment and specific results in terms of emission reductions and mitigation benefits, as well as Mexico's next steps and commitments.

The presentations clearly demonstrated forest carbon accounting remains a priority for both countries, with innovative work continuing in both Canada and Mexico. In this context, the focus of the Working Group for 2022 will be to align and re-establish synergies for mutual benefit.

Within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Exchange of Wildland Fire Management Resources between Canadian and Mexican participants, in 2021, the Operating Plan was updated and signed under which Mexico supported wildland firefighting in Canada through 2 deployments of firefighters and 1 deployment of technical personnel to the Central Office of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). The first deployment occurred from July 17th to September 4th, to the province of Ontario; the second from July 23th to September 11th, to the province of British Columbia; and the mobilization of the technician to CIFFC in Winnipeg, Manitoba occurred from July 6th to August 25th.

Canada made four (4) presentations on:

• the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding and Operating Plan, in which they presented a report on the deployment of fighters from Mexico to support wildland firefighting in Ontario and British Columbia;
• the promotion of equity, diversity and inclusion in wildland fire management in that country;
• the progress of the WildFireSat initiative; and
• the update of the Next Generation Canadian Wildfire Danger Rating System.

Additionally, Canada reaffirmed their appreciation for Mexico's assistance during the 2021 fire season, with a total support of 202 personnel in Ontario, British Columbia and the CIFFC headquarters in Manitoba. Also acknowledged were the extra efforts to enable efficient and safe deployments, especially given the added complexities associated with COVID-19 and operational isolation requirements.

Mexico shared updates on the joint work carried out with Canada, highlighting the update and signing of the Operating Plan in April 2021, as well as updates on their online tool called the System for the Selection of Forest Fighters for International Deployments (SISECOIF). They also shared information on the fire season in the country during 2021.

They also highlighted the participation of Mexican personnel in the courses: "S-290 Intermediate Fire Behavior" and "SCI-100 Introduction to the Incident Command System", the progress of the Forest Fire Danger Prediction System in Mexico and the participation of various Mexican institutions in the WildFireSat initiative.

The results of the collaboration carried out in 2021 were presented, including the technical and programmatic seminar held in February 2021 in which both countries shared their strengths and experiences in building with wood.

During the seminar, Canada focused on its wood construction programs, education, innovation and technology, and its wood culture. Mexico, for its part, emphasized the existing barriers to the development of the wood construction industry, as well as some of the results of the actions carried out by CONAFOR to promote the subject.

The goals of this area of work were achieved, and it was agreed that exploring further exchanges was not a priority for the time being. The topic was concluded within the framework of the WG on Forestry.

It was agreed to hold further discussions within the WG on Forestry to explore the possibility of including "Nature-based solutions to climate change" as an area of collaboration within the CMP.

Canada-Mexico Youth Lab

During the meeting, representatives of the Canada-Mexico Youth Lab were given the opportunity to present and propose areas of collaboration. During their intervention, the COVID-19 pandemic was noted as a driver for reflection and prioritizing the importance of reconnecting with nature. In this regard, a recommendation was put forward to promote initiatives such as forest bathing/therapy, aimed at bringing people to forests and forests to people; increasing nature and adventure tourism; and promoting jobs in forest management. Mechanisms to implement such initiatives were also presented such as through Canada-Mexico training and mentoring programs; working with the youth of local communities to empower them and promote sustainable forest management; as well as through promoting forest/science work experience for youth in national forest institutions such as CONAFOR and NRCan-CFS.

It was agreed that the members of the WG on Forestry will attend an upcoming meeting of the Youth Lab to further define at least one activity to move forward together. To begin with, synergies will be explored with the Green Mentoring Program that has been launched by the World Forestry Congress Secretariat in collaboration with the Learning Tree Project of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative of Canada.

Forest Carbon Accounting

It was agreed to hold a meeting between the technical areas of Canada and Mexico and inviting SilvaCarbon in order to agree on a work plan and subsequently inform the Co-chairs of the Working Group on Forestry.

Wildfire Management

• In-person meeting for the signing of the 2022 Operating Plan;
• Real-time training for capacity building in Mexico leveraging resources from both countries;
• Actively promote the exchange of technical and scientific information;
• Improve standard operating procedures between Mexico and Canadian fire agencies for future deployments;
• Support the commitment to address discrimination through organizational learning. One way to do this will be to invite Mexico to participate in an event on equity, diversity and inclusion organized by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre in March 2022.

The Working Group on Forestry does not have a fixed budget or dedicated full-time staff; it operates with the existing human and financial resources of the member institutions. In this context, it is necessary to consider the circumstances of the participating institutions in order to take advantage of existing resources, as well as the capacity and willingness to collaborate in mutual areas of interest, seeking to consider the views of young people and carry out activities with a gender perspective.

Participants

Mexican participants.

• Camilo Oviedo Bautista Co-chair Head of International Affairs and Financing Promotion, CONAFOR
• Pedro Antonio Plateros Gastelum General Coordinator of Production and Productivity, CONAFOR
• José Armando Alanís de la Rosa Manager of the National Forest Monitoring System, CONAFOR
• Eduardo Cruz Castañeda Manager of Fire Management, CONAFOR
• Juan Manuel Villa Mejía Operations Deputy Manager, CONAFOR
• Irma Karina López Sánchez Manager of International Cooperation, CONAFOR
• Jacqueline Aguilar Baca Deputy Manager of International Cooperation, CONAFOR
• Daniela Lince Romero Liaison of International Cooperation, CONAFOR
• Marcela Olguín Álvarez External Consultant, SilvaCarbon
• María de los Ángeles Soriano Luna Specialist in modeling for the analysis of mitigation in the forest sector, CONAFOR

Canadian participants

• Monique Frison Co-chair Director General of the Canadian Forest Service Trade, Economics and Industry Branch
• Jeffrey Biggs Director, Trade and International Affairs Division, Canadian Forest Service, NRCan
• Rich Verbisky Senior Advisor, Trade and International Affairs Division, NRCan-CFS
• Werner Kurz Senior Research Scientist, NRCan-CFS
• Natasha Jurko Geospatial Fire Technologist, NRCan-CFS
• Joshua Johnston Forest Fire Research Scientist, NRCan-CFS
• Dave Bokovay Director of Operations, CIFFC
• Maria Sharpe Fire Science and Information Manager, CIFFC
• Philippe Tremblay Policy Analyst, Trade and International Affairs Division, NRCan-CFS

Human Capital Working Group

Jennifer Daubeny Executive Director of International Education Global Affairs Canada (GAC)

Gloria Sandoval Salas General Director of Foreign Project Execution Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID, SRE)     

Due to the health situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governments of Canada and Mexico held the 17th Annual Meeting of the Human Capital Working Group remotely on November 25, 2021, for the purpose of presenting the efforts of each country in terms of educational cooperation, student mobility and academic exchange.

Mexico hosted this year’s meeting, which was headed by Act. Gloria Sandoval Salas, General Director of Foreign Project Execution (DGEPE) of the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID). The Canadian delegation was led by Ms. Jennifer Daubeny, Executive Director of International Education at Global Affairs Canada.

The Working Group took place in an atmosphere of solidarity and dynamism, in accordance with the agenda and topics previously agreed upon by the parties.

As part of the opening ceremony, the Co-chairs from the two countries highlighted the importance of the Human Capital Working Group as a key mechanism and high-level forum for promoting educational cooperation between the two countries, establishing common development goals and objectives, and jointly responding to the challenges facing the North American region and today's world.

The Co-chairs from the two countries were pleased with the broad participation and level of representation of key stakeholders from the education sector in each country, drawing attention to the presence and participation of government officials (at the national, state and local levels), the private sector and civil society. Over 80 Mexican and Canadian participants attended virtually.

The two Co-chairs pointed out that as a result of the meeting, efforts will be made to renew the commitments and good will of both countries, in order to define a roadmap and a plan of action for 2022 that will contribute to access to quality, inclusive and equitable education, as well as international mobility and academic exchanges by Canadian and Mexican nationals.

Overview of education and student mobility in Mexico and Canada

As the first item on the agenda, the Co-chairs presented an overview of the education sector in each country. It was recognized that the international health situation has had a negative impact on the education arena representing great challenges such as the interruption and modification of the teaching and learning modalities. 

These measures have had an impact on equal access to quality education, the overall development and human capital of individuals, and academic mobility and exchanges for nationals from both countries. According to data from 2020, Mexico ranked tenth in terms of international students in Canada and, more specifically, second amongst the Latin American countries.  However, the health situation reduced both the number of Mexican students in Canada as well as their length of stay.

However, recognizing the importance of relations between the countries, both Co-chairs noted the necessity of promoting and redoubling efforts to resume educational cooperation and academic exchange actions.

On this topic, the need to opt for alternative solutions and innovative mechanisms for education, for example, involving Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and digital mediawere mentioned.

Reference was also made to the possibility of resuming student mobility once the health situation improves. This would mean adhering to the biosecurity protocols of both countries, including entry and stay requirements, as well as vaccination policies.

The restarting of student mobility would provide an opportunity to expand and renew the educational offerings of both countries, giving greater priority to the areas of study that are currently in demand for the development of each nation and in accordance with the international context.

Finally, it was deemed necessary to contribute to access to educational opportunities by population groups that have suffered greater impacts as a result of the pandemic, or whose situation of risk, exclusion and vulnerability has worsened. Therefore, the relevance of promoting educational programs and initiatives aimed at youth, women, Indigenous Peoples and migrants, among other priority population sectors, was identified.

Presentation of the Canada-Mexico Youth Lab

The Canada-Mexico Youth Lab, an effort promoted by the Embassies of both countries that seeks to strengthen collaboration between young nationals of Mexico and Canada, participated in and addressed the HCWG for the first time.

At the 17th Annual Meeting of the Human Capital Working Group, four representatives of the Lab presented an initiative for academic and labour linkages between young people, educational institutions and labour authorities in both countries, via a virtual platform.

Presentation of programs and calls for proposals in the area of student mobility

As a key space for dialogue, the representatives of the Canadian and Mexican education sectors presented educational cooperation and academic exchange initiatives:

• that have been implemented previously;
• that are currently in force or being implemented;
• that could potentially be carried out bilaterally as of 2022.

During the session, interventions were made mainly by higher education institutions, associations, and education consortiums from Canada and Mexico. In both cases, educational and academic exchange programs were presented for the realization of technical, vocational, higher education programs, language teaching, among other initiatives.

The Canadian and Mexican participants expressed their interest in the initiative, asking various questions and making comments via the virtual platform. It was also suggested that other actors should be involved in implementing the portal and that the Youth Lab proposal should be more widely disseminated.

Despite the presentation of diverse bilateral academic offerings, the participants specifically noted that due to the health situation, some of the initiatives had been suspended or cancelled.

However, they expressed interest, should the conditions improve, in the feasibility of reactivating some academic programs and resuming student mobility, taking into account contingency and health measures at all times. They also referred to ICTs and digital media as innovative tools and alternatives for the development and continuity of academic exchange.

Presentation of academic linkage and inclusion initiatives between Mexico and Canada

In a similar context, the representatives of Canadian and Mexican institutions presented initiatives and affirmative actions to reduce educational gaps and promote inclusive, equitable education, as well as equal opportunity access and means of learning.

This section resulted in the presentation of academic mobility and exchange programs aimed at vulnerable population groups such as women, Indigenous Peoples, and young people, among others.

The Canadian and Mexican representatives emphasized the need to redouble efforts in favour of these population groups, which efforts could be set out in the 2022 Action Plan.

With respect to linkage actions, different Mexican institutions referred to the initiatives implemented with the Province of Quebec, as well as those developed within the framework of Public-Private Partnerships such as MITACs, and other Canadian Universities consortiums, like Caldo, Calareo, and Languages Canada.

Closing of the XVII Meeting of the Canada-Mexico Human Capital Working Group

Following the presentations, the Co-chairs closed the 17th Annual Meeting of the Human Capital Working Group, thanking the Canadian and Mexican members for their participation, and acknowledging that the development of this edition had exceeded the goals initially set, and resulted in a high-level dialogue and understanding between the countries.

The participating institutions were also encouraged to ensure that the educational initiatives presented, as well as the interests and possible commitments expressed, materialize in the course of the Action Plan in 2022 with a view to continuing to promote and strengthen educational cooperation and bilateral academic exchange, despite the current situation.

It was unequivocally expressed that the work of the Human Capital Working Group is another example of the sustained and enriching cooperation between Canada and Mexico, and that it reflects the shared commitment to achieving sustainable development of their nations and the North American region, as well as responding to global challenges.

As a deliverable of the Human Capital Working Group Meeting, the parties expressed their commitment to define a 2022 Action Plan that will contribute to access to quality, inclusive and equitable education, based on mobility and academic exchange programs that could be offered to nationals of both countries. In this regard, special emphasis was placed on prioritizing the offer in the areas of study that are in demand for each nation as well as for the population groups that are most vulnerable, such as women, youth and Indigenous Peoples, among others.

To that end, the Working Group participants agreed to:

• Define and/or update educational offerings in order to reach the levels of academic exchange achieved before the COVID-19 pandemic, either through in-person modalities where possible according to the health situation and biosecurity measures in the two countries, or via hybrid and/or remote modalities.
• Create, strengthen and diversify links and partnerships between key education stakeholders in both countries such as the public sector (at the national, state and local levels), private sector and civil society.
• Prioritize and promote access to educational opportunities for vulnerable population groups, such as women, youth and Indigenous Peoples among others.
• Promote and expand opportunities for learning English, French and Spanish, and for intercultural exchange, through collaboration and the development of bilateral programs between Canadian and Mexican agencies.
• Continue the exchange of the best practices on work-integrated learning opportunities, in order to develop more soft skills and competencies required in the labour market.

In recognition of the will of the members of the 17th Meeting of the Human Capital Working Group and in order to achieve the goals and objectives to be set out in the 2022 Action Plan, the following challenges have been identified and will need to be addressed with constant monitoring, dialogue and decision-making:

• COVID-19 pandemic and biosecurity policies adopted by each country.
• Learning and teaching modalities adopted.
• Availability of economic, human and technological resources for program implementation.
• Valid period for linkage mechanisms between Canadian and Mexican agencies.

In order to record progress and areas of opportunity in compliance with the 2022 Action Plan, it has been proposed that indicators be defined and that semi-annual follow-up actions/meetings be held.

Mining Working Group

Kimberly Lavoie Director General Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

José Rafael Jabalera Batista Director General Of Mining Development Secretariat of Economy (SE)        

The meeting of the Mining Working Group took place on November 23, 2021, via videoconference.

The meeting discussed how the mining sector is a key component for the recovery of the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic and one of the main drivers to re-establish production. The mining sector is the pillar of many industries, large amounts of metals will be required for this transition. It is the duty of the Mexican government to promote a responsible economy, with respect for the environment and local communities, while ensuring the workers’ safety. Social and environmental impacts are key components for sustainable development.

The Canadian counterpart recognizes Mexico as one of its most important mining partners. It is essential to work collaboratively between partners. Governments and industry must work to ensure that supply chains are sustainable. Each country can contribute to issues of its value chain by allowing community development and creating an understanding of what each country needs. The most important part of this cycle is to seek solutions, have a qualified workforce and have an integrated business that will guarantee success.

In the first segment of the meeting, the Canadian counterpart offered a mine safety workshop with specialists from Agnico Eagle, Torex Gold, Cementation, Symboticware and BBA Consultants, among others. This workshop attracted a lot of interest with an audience of approximately 65 people. For the first time, the invitation was extended to mining companies.

During the workshop it was discussed how the overview on mining safety has changed since the seventies, from a vision of "accidents happen" to a bottom-up preventive safety culture across the company where not only the technical aspects are considered, but also the human element as a fundamental factor in accident prevention.

There was talk of the 4-layer risk model, which was introduced in the mining legislation in 2017. The Mining Association of Canada presented its eight protocols covering different topics with 31 indicators, highlighting the health and safety protocol. This protocol is a guide to complete health and safety performance evaluations with five indicators. Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) is a globally recognized sustainability program that supports mining companies in managing environmental and social risks. Between 60% and 70% of the mines are part of the TSM. The Canadian counterpart expressed its intention to bring the program to Mexico in collaboration with the Mexican Mining Chamber.

In the second segment of the meeting, issues relevant to Mexico were discussed such as the energy reform, the Indigenous and social consultation, and the policies promoted by the Mexican federal government to work towards a mining industry that is not only modern and safe, but also sustainable.

The Mexican Geological Survey presented the current status of the exploration of lithium deposits, the progress in terms of social and indigenous consultation, and the Homologated Inventory of Tailings Dams that has been discussed with the Mexican Secretariat of Environment (SEMARNAT).

The Intergovernmental Forum on Mineral Resources (IGF) Coordinator for Latin America presented the preliminary results of a mining policy assessment that was carried out in conjunction with the Mexican Secretariat of Economy. Its purpose is to assess how good governance policies are applied in Mexico’s mining sector. This evaluates aspects such as environmental management, optimization of financial benefits of mining or the transition to the closure stage in the life of a mine. One of the aspects considered in this report is the optimization of socioeconomic benefits of the mining industry including gender equity. The report pointing out that although one of the strengths of the sector is the existence of regulations that promote labor equality and educational training of people, as a weakness it is identified that there is no uniformity in terms of design and application of gender policies.

It was agreed to continue monitoring the topics discussed in the workshop and to explore ways of collaboration with the Mexican Mining Chamber. It was also proposed to work in the coming year on possible measures to promote responsible exploration, mainly with respect to communities and the environment, taking into consideration the results of the mining policy assessment project carried out with the IGF.

Trade, Investment and Innovation Working Group

Eric Walsh Director General of Policy and Relations with North America Ministry of Global Affairs (GAC)

Lydia Antonio Director General for International Treaties, Monitoring, Administration and Compliance Oversight Secretariat of Economy (SE)

Gustavo Santillana Vice Chairman of the Business Committee Mexican Business Council of Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (COMCE)

The Trade, Investment and Innovation Working Group (TIIWG) is one of the eight working groups of the Canada-Mexico Partnership (CMP) which, since 2004, guides bilateral collaboration between Canada and Mexico. It is co-chaired by the General Directorate of North America of Global Affairs Canada, the General Directorate for International Treaties, Monitoring, Administration and Compliance Oversight (DGSASCTC) of the Secretariat of Economy, and the Mexican Council of Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (COMCE).

The objective of the TIIWG is to strengthen the dialogue between our governments and support the growing needs and activities of Canadian and Mexican companies doing business in the respective markets in addition to promoting collaborative projects between the two governments and the private sector to boost business ties(particularly among MSMEs), trade and investment opportunities, best practices in innovation and technologies to increase the competitiveness and quality of life of the citizens of the two countries.

The meeting of the TIIWG of the Canada-Mexico Partnership was held in person and virtually on November 25, 2021 in Mexico City. Around 40 participants from federal governments, provinces and the private sector attended.

The Co-chairs highlighted the contributions made by all participants and recognized the importance of continuing to deepen our relationship of partners and friends and the new commercial and investment realities within a changing post-pandemic environment.

The Mexican counterpart highlighted the relationship between Canada and Mexico as strategic trading partners. Canada is Mexico's fifth largest trading partner. Mexico recognized the importance of Canadian investments as the third largest source country for foreign direct investment.

One of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic was the importance of having competitive and resilient supply chains. Our teams have worked on the implementation of actions aimed at strengthening and enhancing supply chains in North America, promoting the reactivation of our economies with an approach based on the inclusion of small businesses and disadvantaged sectors such as youth, women and Indigenous Peoples in regional value chains.

In the session of the TIIWG, the Canadian counterpart thanked the Secretariat of Economy for the organization of the meeting of the Working Group, emphasized the work that has been done in recent weeks regarding the Canada-Mexico relationship and stressed that the meeting of the North American Leaders' Summit (NALS) was a great opportunity for collaboration on a wide variety of issues and priorities, goals and cooperation strategies for the future.

He remarked that this was the first time the leaders of our countries met in person and had the opportunity to advance their common interests which worked to highlight the depth of our bilateral relationship.

In addition, he pointed out that Secretary Clouthier has met on several occasions with Minister Ng and they have discussed shared priorities on different topics such as SMEs, innovation, climate change, inclusive trade, competitiveness, and supply chains among others. He stressed the importance of the CMP Annual Meeting and especially the TIIWG that serves as an important tool to address the different challenges that arise in the bilateral relationship. He commented that the meeting would allow us to define concrete projects in which we will join forces to strengthen ourselves together.

The COMCE executive highlighted the importance of private sector collaboration in the TIIWG as beingfundamental. He said that although COMCE has bilateral committees in which they work with Canada.The CMP and the TIIWG are fundamental for the creation of innovation and trade. He referred to the importance of the high-level meetings held recently which marks the close relationship between the two countries.

Economic/Political Landscape

Both countries presented the economic and political context of their respective countries, from Canada, Aaron Sydor, director of Economic and Commercial Analysis, Global Affairs Canada and from Mexico, Rodrigo Mariscal, general director of Macroeconomic Analysis of the SHCP, highlighting:

Eric Walsh mentioned that with the elections in Canada (September 20, 2021) there were some changes in the administration \but the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Mary Ng, remains in her position. Each minister receives a mandate letter from Prime Minister Trudeau to align their work with the priorities of the current government which include combating COVID-19, pursuing a green future, ensuring education and health for all, and advancing competitiveness to name a few.

During the presentation on the economic context of Canada, the following points were highlighted:

• despite the fact that the pandemic slowed the global economy, an accelerated rebound has been generated that has allowed international production and trade to be maintained;
• GDP has remained solid in the post-pandemic economic recovery;
• the pandemic has impacted the sectors differently, one of the most benefited has been manufacturing while some with greater affectations refer more to services such as the arts, entertainment and tourism sectors to mention a few;
• trade in goods has been at an all-time high in recent months; Canada has benefited from some cases of shortages both domestically and internationally; however, the service industry is making a slow recovery;
• the SMEs exports have been reduced because many of them do not have the necessary resources to face this crisis;
• women-owned enterprises have doubled the possibility of exporting their products, to the extent that they are expected to close the gender gap. However, these companies face trade barriers differently.

Lydia Antonio pointed out that it is essential to promote equality and eradicate gender violence. The pandemic has been the focus of activity since last year and one of the government's main objectives has focused on saving lives. Something of interest to report is the progress that has been made in terms of the labour reform and its new structure that is followed punctually by the Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare, to guarantee free association and collective representativeness of workers.

Rodrigo Mariscal, from the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit, emphasized that economic activity in Mexico has recovered by 97% since the pandemic began, however, this figure is complicated because not all economic sectors have presented the same recovery. Trade was one of the sectors that took the least time to recover. There are some sectors that are still lagging in terms of growth and competitiveness such as the tourism, restauration and transportation sector which will eventually recover and reach adequate levels of growth.

As for inflation, it is important to note that all countries in the world go through the same thing and Mexico is no exception. The fundamental explanation is that consumption patterns changed radically during the pandemic and those pressures suffer directly in the economy. We also had a period of droughts and floods that also contributed to rising inflation levels. He concluded by mentioning the importance of the country's fiscal stability.

Work carried out by the TIIWG in 2021

Co-chair Lydia Antonio stressed that for the relationship between Canada and Mexico this year was very satisfactory. The visit of the Secretary of Economy Tatiana Clouthier was a great opportunity to follow up on different initiatives. A broad program of activities has been developed including a virtual event during the pandemic, subsequently, the visit of Minister Ng to Mexico to commemorate the anniversary of the CUSMA in which an inclusive trade event was held. She noted that it would be important to have an action plan with quantified goals and priorities. Programs and good practices will have to be taken up again in order to be incorporated into the policies that have been implemented.

She highlighted that Mexico joined Canada in October 2021 in the Inclusive Trade Action Group (ITAG) and its Global Trade and Gender Agreement (GTGA) that covers issues not only inclusive trade, but also gender and foreign trade.

She emphasized that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the activities proposed for 2021 were carried out through digital media highlighting the following projects carried out by Mexico in favor of inclusive trade:

• The celebration of the second E-roundtable of business  MujerExportaMx  that linked Mexican women entrepreneurs with buyers from other markets in which a training session to do business with Canada was included;
• Inclusive trade event with entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups led by the Secretary of Economy, Tatiana Clouthier, and her counterparts from Canada and the United States within the framework of the commemoration of the first anniversary of the CUSMA held in July in Mexico City;
• The convening  of meetings of private equity funds  organized by the Mexican Association of Private Equity (AMEXCAP) and the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA);
• Events on the bilateral trade and investment relationship , with chambers of commerce, associations, states and companies in which the DGSASCTC and the office for the implementation of the CUSMA in Canada participated.
• The holding of webinars and videoconferences to promote trade and investment with Canada organized by COMCE;
• Mexico's accession  in October 2021  to the Inclusive Trade Action Group (ITAG) and its  Global Agreement on Trade and Gender (GTAGA) which represents an opportunity to continue strengthening the work that our country is doing in terms of equal inclusion of sectors less favored to foreign trade.
• The participation of the Secretariat of Economy in the  IncMty festival which this year had Canada as the guest country.

The Canadian projects carried out this year were directed to initiatives focused on:

• Networking and investment promotion activity in the technology sector in the context of the Collision 2021 conference with the participation of 13 Mexican capital funds; and meetings and presentations of Canadian pension funds at the annual AMEXCAP Summit ;
• Business missions which took place in recent weeks on aerospace, oil and gas , and clean technologies;
• An inclusive trade forum that the Embassy of Canada in Mexico organized in accompaniment with the Secretariat of Economy, including a multisectoral business mission for 11 companies of underrepresented groups (self-identified as owned by (5) women, (5) indigenous, (2) LGBTQ+, (1) youth). The Forum was attended by high-level representatives of the ministries of international trade of both countries, WEConnect International , the Mexican Federation of LGBT+ Entrepreneurs, and the Quebec Women Entrepreneurs Network, in which they were also given a couple of sessions on how to do business in Canada and Mexico.
• The progress of the Canadian Technology Accelerator program of the Embassy of Canada since its implementation in 2019 was presented which received cohorts of participants in sectors such as agro-technology, smart cities, and digital health by 2022.

The importance of having the presence of the  Canada-Mexico Youth Lab  was highlighted, indeed, the latter made a presentation highlighting 4 proposals:

• Youth CMP Dialogue Table : formation of a joint table made up of youth delegates and CMP authorities;
• Empowerment of young women entrepreneurs: training program for young women entrepreneurs in Canada and Mexico providing legal, technical and financial support, including business courses;
• Canada - Mexico Business Incubator : business program that helps beginner entrepreneurs develop a business model with foundations and helps strategic connections. A bilateral program for citizens could have a great impact on start-ups;
• Youth entrepreneurship conference

Work Program 2022

Both sides presented preliminary lists of possible trade, investment and innovation projects that could be carried out in 2022. While the projects were reviewed quickly, some still need to be further developed. Both sides agreed on the importance of carrying out initiatives that support underrepresented SMEs and export groups, including women entrepreneurs, Indigenous Peoples, and the LGBTQI+ community.

The Mexican delegation presented 12 initiatives related to activities to promote the participation of women in regional trade, support the entrepreneurship of MSMEs, from underrepresented groups, as well as the exchange of best practices in innovation by linking industrial innovation centers in Mexico with innovation hubs in Canada.

It was proposed to promote trade and investment opportunities between Mexican states and to promote opportunities for Canadian investors through AMEXCAP.

The Canadian delegation stressed the importance of focusing on a few joint initiatives proposing the following themes and activities:

• continuing the momentum created in the private equity sector and organizing a mission of Mexican funds to Canada with AMEXCAP and another activity with pension funds;
• repeat an activity on the topic of inclusive trade;
• collaborate in the Canadian Technology Accelerator program;
• hold a summit of Canadian and Mexican CEOs where he could eventually join with the Can-Mex Youth Lab .

The TIIWG will continue to work in a coordinated manner to carry out the agreed initiatives through an inclusive approach taking into account sectors that were previously excluded from the benefits of a trade-oriented strategy. In order to develop a new growth strategy, Mexico will continue with the task of including projects that maintain the inclusion of women, youth, Indigenous populations and entrepreneurs as a transversal axis.

The Canada-Mexico Partnership is an important cooperation mechanism to continue strengthening the commercial and collaborative relationship between both countries and allows us to position ourselves as partners and friends at the regional level.

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Canada and Mexico are working together on

Mutual prosperity, a better world, people-to-people ties, canada advances trade priorities at third annual small and medium-sized enterprises dialogue of canada-united states-mexico agreement.

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May 17, 2024

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February 29, 2024

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Minister O’Regan discusses labour reforms in Mexico City

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April 18, 2023

Poetry Night 2023: Celebrating the French language through Poetic Threads

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March 3, 2023

One year after Russian aggression, we reaffirm our support for Ukraine

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February 23, 2023

Through Her Eyes

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September 26, 2022

Interview with Ambassador Clark on the Passing of Queen Elizabeth II

Available in Spanish only.

September 13, 2022

Chancery gates show Canada’s support for Ukraine

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August 29, 2022

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August 4, 2022

Internship program for young indigenous professionals

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August 2, 2022

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July 21, 2022

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July 15, 2022

Canada Day 2022

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June 29, 2022

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May 6, 2022

Poetry Night

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March 3, 2022

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G7 Leaders’ Statement on the invasion of Ukraine by armed forces of the Russian Federation

February 24, 2022, Ottawa, Ontario – We the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) are appalled by and condemn the large-scale military aggression by the Russian Federation against the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, directed partly from Belarusian soil. This unprovoked and completely unjustified attack on the democratic state of Ukraine was […]

February 24, 2022

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Canada advances trade priorities at third annual Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Dialogue of Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement

From: Global Affairs Canada

News release

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is a model free-trade agreement for the world, supporting economic growth, prosperity and competitiveness for all 3 countries.

May 16, 2024 - Montréal, Quebec - Global Affairs Canada

This week, in Montréal, Canada hosted the third annual CUSMA Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Dialogue, bringing together over 175 representatives of SMEs, industry leaders and government officials from across North America. Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, and Rob Stewart, Deputy Minister of International Trade, engaged with participants to help advance trade opportunities for SMEs. They highlighted the importance of CUSMA for growth and prosperity and reflected on the 3 countries’ shared priorities, including increasing the engagement of SMEs led by groups traditionally underrepresented in international trade.

The Parliamentary Secretary also visited the Canadian Pavilion at the Salon International de l’Alimentation au Canada [international food show in Canada], featuring over 100 Canadian companies, and interacted with international buyers seeking to purchase from Canadian SMEs. In addition, he sat down with representatives of the non-profit industry group AluQuébec to discuss the priorities of the Canadian aluminum industry, whose exports are vital to North American supply chains and crucial to supporting the transition to a green economy. 

“Canada, the United States and Mexico share the goal of making the North American market even more integrated, efficient and competitive. SMEs are the backbone of our shared supply chains and economies. Through CUSMA, our 3 countries are working together to help our SMEs thrive and succeed in exporting.” - Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development

Quick facts

CUSMA took effect in 2020, spanning a market of around 500 million people and representing nearly 30% of the global economy.

In 2023, the 3 countries imported close to a total of $2 trillion in merchandise from each other—that’s nearly $5.3 billion in trade crossing their borders every day.

The CUSMA SME Committee, chaired by Canada in 2024, organizes the dialogue every year to discuss issues that are important to SMEs.

In Canada, Mexico and the United States, SMEs account for more than 99% of all companies, helping the 3 countries’ economies thrive.

Associated links

• About the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement
• Doing business in North America
• Canada-United States relations
• Doing business in the United States
• Canada-Mexico relations
• Doing business in Mexico
• Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service

Huzaif Qaisar Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development 343-575-8816 [email protected]

Media Relations Office Global Affairs Canada [email protected] Follow us on Twitter: @CanadaTrade Like us on Facebook: Canada’s international trade - Global Affairs Canada

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