Trudeau, Peña Nieto stand for free trade
OTTAWA • The leaders of Canada and Mexico stood shoulder to shoulder on Tuesday as they heralded a new era of friendship while taking subtle jabs at Brexit and Donald Trump’s antitrade rhetoric.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto presented their united front outside the House of Commons, where they pushed reset on the country-to-country relationship by promising reciprocal action on visas and beef.
“We’ve seen around the world many examples of protectionism, of stepping away from trade agreements and engagements like we’re showcasing today,” Trudeau said. “And I think it’s important that allies and partners like Mexico and Canada work together to address the challenges we’re facing together.”
As Trudeau and Peña Nieto, who will be joined by U.S. President Barack Obama for the Three Amigos summit on Wednesday, were proclaiming their new friendship, Britain’s decision to leave the EU as well as the potential for a Trump presidency hovered over the leaders like a cloud.
Many analysts have attributed Brexit to growing angst about the effects of globalization and free trade in the United Kingdom. Those sentiments have also manifested themselves in other parts of Europe as well as the United States.
In Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump delivered a major economic speech in which he described the North American Free Trade Agreement as the worst deal ever signed and the Trans-Pacific Partnership “the greatest danger yet.” He said if elected president, he would demand NAFTA be renegotiated, or the U.S. would withdraw from it.
“I’m going tell our NAFTA partners that I intend to immediately renegotiate the terms of that agreement to get a better deal for our workers. And I don’t mean just a little bit better, I mean a lot better,” Trump said. “If they do not agree to a renegotiation, then I will submit notice under Article 2205 of the NAFTA agreement that America intends to withdraw from the deal.”
Trudeau and Peña Nieto sidestepped questions about Trump, saying they would work with whoever becomes the next U.S. president. However, they defended closer economic ties in North America and free trade.
Peña Nieto said Canada and Mexico “have a shared vision and we really believe in regional integration. We believe in free trade. We believe that working as part of a team and working in cooperation will allow us to … ensure that our societies are able to develop further and better.”
Trudeau said trade and closer co-operation between countries “are ultimately good for our citizens, are good for the middle class, are good for the growth that matters, are good for the opportunities to succeed that our communities live with.”
To cement the Canada-Mexico relationship, Trudeau announced the Liberal government will lift visa requirements on Mexican travellers by Dec. 1. At the same time, Peña Nieto said Mexico will remove all restrictions on Canadian beef by October.
The Conservative government introduced the visa requirement in 2009 after thousands of Mexicans flooded Canada’s refugee system. While the Conservatives said it was necessary to keep out bogus refugees, it quickly became a barrier to relations between the two countries.
While the government said specific details are still being ironed out, Peña Nieto welcomed the decision. Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel, however, alleged lifting the visa requirement threatened to undermine national security.
“Before the visa was put in place, Mexicans made up 25 per cent of all refugee claims filed in Canada,” she said. “In addition, the ongoing reports of increasing levels of state violence and corruption do not inspire confidence in the integrity of their passport controls.”