Growing Tensions: Mexico's President stood firm against Canada and the United States

Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump ruffled feathers when he posted a message on his social media platform Truth Social stating Washington would impose a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico. The post kicked off tensions between Mexico City and its continental trade partners, especially Canada.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum recently affirmed her steadfastness on the issues facing her country, emphasizing that her position remained unchanged following discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the US President-elect Donald Trump.

Sheinbaum's unyielding stance underscored the firm resolve of Mexico City in the face of the evolving political landscape in North America that has been upended by the reelection of Trump to the White House by U.S. voters and his subsequent plan to impose heavy tariffs on his neighbors to the north and south,

“Mexico must be respected,” Sheinbaum declared during her People’s Morning Press Conference when asked about the recent statements by the Government of Canada on the subject of tariffs that Trump intends to impose on the two countries due to the fentanyl crisis and the immigration issue.

According to El Financiero, Canada's ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman, said that a recent meeting between Trump and Trudeau helped the former understand that it is unfair to lump Canada and Mexico together with regard to the flow of migrants and drugs to the United States.

According to the Spanish newspaper El País, Sheinbaum responded to Trudeau's meeting with Trump by stressing that Mexico would maintain cooperation, even though it does not have a fentanyl consumption crisis like its partners. “The problems are different, Canada also has a very serious problem with fentanyl consumption,” she said.

However, according to El Financiero, "U.S. customs agents seized 19.5 kilos of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared to 9.6 tons at the Mexican border."

In terms of immigration, "the United States Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests on the Mexican border in October alone and 23,721 arrests on the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024," reports El Financiero.

The tensions between the three countries come just over a year before the review of the free trade agreement between Mexico, the United States, and Canada, the T-MEC (which is also known as the USMCA in the United States and CUSMA in Canada), which must be re-evaluated in 2026.

Initially, after his meeting with Sheinbaum at the G20 in Brazil in November 2024, Trudeau declared that, although his first option is to maintain the treaty, he would not rule out “other options” if Mexico does not change its position in relation to China.

Pressure on China is coming from the United States, but also from local governments in Canada, such as Ontario and Alberta, two important provinces in the Canadian economy.

Sheinbaum attributes these Canadian pressures to the fact that the country will face general elections next year. "What we will always point out is that Mexico should not be used as part of their electoral campaigns," declared the Mexican president.

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