PM offers progressive pitch in Mexico
Trudeau urges Mexican politicians to embrace rights of workers and women
MEXICO CITY— Justin Trudeau issued a progressive call to arms Friday, urging lawmakers in Mexico’s most populous city to embrace and promote the rights of workers and women as an antidote to the creeping threat of isolationism that imperils trade and economic growth around the world.
His speech to the Mexican Senate capped a four-day trip that began in Washington, D.C., largely revolving around the ongoing talks to rewrite the decades-old North American Free Trade Agreement and bring it into the modern era.
Ensuring it is a deal that benefits all segments of society is essential, the prime minister said.
“Isolationism is taking hold in too many corners of the world, but our people must not succumb to fear. We, as leaders, must not succumb to fear,” Trudeau said.
“Our challenge lies in ensuring that everyone benefits from economic growth. And we do that by pursuing an ambitious, progressive vision of what the future can — and should — look like.”
Trudeau’s first official visit to Mexico followed a two-day stop in Washington. In both cities, he sat down with political leaders as well as civil society groups active in promoting women’s rights.
Putting the focus on making a new NAFTA “progressive” is in part a political strategy for the Liberals, who are looking to left-leaning Democrats in the U.S. Congress to help support the agreement in the face of a White House that seems bent on ripping it up.
In Mexico, it is aimed at bolstering Canada’s standing among Mexican citizens so strong bilateral relations can continue once President Enrique Pena Nieto’s term comes to an end next year.
At the NAFTA talks, Canada has introduced a proposal aimed at compelling Mexico to pay workers higher wages and do away with so-called “yellow” unions that represent employers rather than employees.
An exodus of jobs to Mexico is a major concern of both Canada and the U.S., but business leaders in Mexico have argued that workers’ rights and pay should be an internal issue for each country.
But Trudeau said Canada does have Mexico’s support when it comes to introducing a gender chapter into the trade pact.
What that might look like remains under development; at a forum for business executives in Washington earlier this week, Trudeau noted that such a chapter could be “aspirational, it can be concrete.”
Trudeau told the Mexican Senate he appreciates their support for the chapter, but at the same time, the groups he met in Mexico City told him stories about the unacceptable treatment of women and girls.
He received a standing ovation for his remarks and cheers not just from the senators but from onlookers in the chamber.
The upcoming Mexican elections are one reason NAFTA negotiators are striving to get a deal done by year’s end.
“A strong North America can only come from a strong Mexico, a strong Canada and a strong United States,” Trudeau said. “We are partners — all of us. And even in the face of unpredictability and change, we must remember that.”