Image credit: COMEXI, CGAI, and Facultad de Derecho

BOOK

Produced in collaboration with:

by Solange Márquez, Joseph Calnan, Kelly Ogle, and Colin Robertson 

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Introduction

With almost 80 years of formal diplomatic relations, Mexico and Canada have forged a close economic, political, and cultural partnership. As neighbouring coun­tries, their relationship holds significance for the North American region and the global stage.

Successful commercial relationship framed by the for­mer North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and now by the USMCA, CUSMA or T-MEC (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) has contributed significantly to Mexico and Canada’s economic growth and prosperity.

However, despite the many successes of the commer­cial relationship between Mexico and Canada, there are challenges and opportunities, especially facing the recov­ery after the Covid-19 pandemic and a complex geopolit­ical and economic context framed by the Russia-Ukraine War and the inflationary crisis worldwide.

“Mexico and Canada: Two Nations in a North American Partnership” delves into the current state of the relationship between Mexico and Canada, seeking to explore whether a more robust and dynamic alliance is still possible. This book aims to inform offering a comprehensive understand­ing of the current partnership while exploring its potential for further growth and collaboration.

Strengthening this relationship would boost trade and investment further, leading to increased economic growth and prosperity for both countries. Nevertheless, the finan­cial benefit would not be the only one. A deeper relation­ship would bring political benefits too. As two democratic nations, Mexico and Canada are committed to the rule of law, human rights, and other important democratic values. By working together, the two countries can help to promote these values in the region.

This book recognizes the need to go beyond trade agree­ments and explore avenues for deeper collaboration and connectivity.

In Chapter 1, “Economic Relations,” the book examines Mexico’s economic future and the opportunities it presents for both countries. It delves into the perspectives of Mexico on the USMCA, analyzing whether it functions as one regional agreement or two separate bilateral agreements. The chapter also explores the importance of supporting supply chains in North America and the potential for a comprehensive North American Energy Security Strategy. Additionally, it highlights the role of shared social values in deepening energy relations and discusses the joint perspective of Mexico and Canada on intellectual property and innovation.

Chapter 2, “Collaboration & Connectivity,” focuses on the collaborative efforts and connections between Mexico and Canada. It delves into the concept of being “Neighbours by Choice,” emphasizing the deliberate efforts to build a last­ing bridge between the two nations. The chapter explores the role of parliaments in shaping Mexico-Canada relations, emphasizing the significance of their involvement. It also analyzes the building blocks of a successful negotiating strat­egy and examines the specific relationship between Quebec and Mexico. Furthermore, it challenges the notion of shap­ing the relationship solely based on desires and expectations, emphasizing the importance of accepting and working with the relationship as it exists. Lastly, the chapter explores the shared commitment and common challenges Mexico and Canada face.

Chapter 3, “People, Education, and Culture,” recog­nizes the importance of social and cultural aspects in foster­ing a strong partnership. It examines the media relationship between Mexico and Canada, questioning why there seems to be a lack of mutual interest. The chapter introduces the concept of the North America Student Mobility Project and its potential to create a bright future through enhanced edu­cational exchange. It also explores the challenges and oppor­tunities for academic research and highlights the importance of understanding each other’s legal systems, specifically the differences between common law and civil law.

In the concluding chapter, “Is there still a vision for a North American community?” the book encourages readers to reflect on the collective vision for a unified North America. It explores whether such a vision is feasible given the current geopolitical landscape and considers the potential paths for­ward for the Mexico-Canada partnership.

The Canadian Ambassador, Graeme Clark, highlights that despite the challenges of COVID-19, our people-to-people ties are rebounding, and our robust commercial relation­ship continues to thrive. He underscores that we are working towards a more assertive North America and beyond through collaboration and shared values.

The Mexican Ambassador, Carlos Joaquín, reminded us that both countries consider each other partners and strate­gic allies. He underlines that It is essential for both nations to create opportunities for communication with the pri­mary objective of enhancing the well-being of their respec­tive populations.

For many years Comexi has been working towards a more profound, strengthened relationship between the two coun­tries. It was in that regard that the book “Mexico and Canada: the Pending Agenda” was published ten years ago. Under the lead of Ambassador Andrés Rozental, that book was a route map, marking the main themes and areas where we needed to work harder and those that already represented opportuni­ties. How many things have changed since then? What issues are still challenging, and what opportunities exist to exploit them? “Mexico and Canada: Two Nations in a North Ameri­can Partnership” is an effort to answer those questions.

A book like this is an effort that requires help from many. At Comexi, there are several people to thank, Sergio Alco­cer, Paty Zuñiga, Karla Martínez and all the members of the Mexico-Canada Unit, especially FanJua Rivas, Pía Taracena, Cristina Flores and Héctor Cárdenas. I am also very grate­ful to Andrés Rozental. He was the one that brought the idea of the book to the table from the beginning, and we took the challenge. Without all his advice, encouragement, recom­mendations and friendship, it would have been impossible to finish this accomplishment. At the CGAI, Colin Robertson was a fantastic partner, opening doors and providing ideas every time we needed them. Raúl Contreras, Dean of the Fac­ulty of Law (UNAM), was a unique and welcoming part­ner. His tenacity is contagious, and I will always be grateful because his confidence in my abilities and capacities is one of the reasons why I can present this work. Thank you for your advice, your friendship and your kindness. Last but not least, I want to recognize the opinions, comments, revisions and many calls and messages from my colleagues at the Faculty of Law, especially Oscar Ramos, Marco Antonio Martínez and Montserrat Miranda. I thank the three institutions supporting this project for their support and confidence.

By providing a comprehensive understanding of the current partnership and exploring its potential for further growth and collaboration, this book seeks to inform and inspire. It offers valuable insights for strengthening trade, investment, and political ties while promoting shared demo­cratic values and fostering a unified North America.

Solange Márquez Espinoza

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE. 11
Ambassador Andrés Rozental

LETTER FROM COMEXI . 13
Sergio M. Alcocer

LETTER FROM CGAI . 15
Kelly J. Ogle

LETTER FROM FACULTY OF LAW, UNAM . 17
Raul Contreras Bustamante

INTRODUCTION. 19
Solange Márquez Espinoza

CANADA AND MEXICO: WORKING TOGETHER FOR A BETTER NORTH AMERICA . 25
Ambassador Graeme Clark

MEXICO-CANADA STRATEGIC TIES, AT A CRUCIAL JUNCTURE . 31
Ambassador Carlos Joaquin

CHAPTER I: ECONOMIC RELATIONS

MEXICO’S ECONOMIC FUTURE: TIME TO SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY . 39
Luis Foncerrada and Arturo Martinez

IS THE USMCA ONE REGIONAL AGREEMENT OR TWO BILATERAL ONES? PERSPECTIVES FROM MEXICO . 53
Juan Carlos Bak er and Guillermo Mendoza

MEXICO AND CANADA: SUPPORTING SUPPLY CHAINS IN NORTH AMERICA . 69
Luz María de la Mora

FRAMING A NORTH AMERICAN ENERGY SECURITY STRATEGY . 75
Joseph Calnan and Kelly Ogle

DEEPENING ENERGY RELATIONS THROUGH SHARED SOCIAL VALUES . 89
Lourdes Melgar and Katya Puga

CANADA AND MEXICO: A JOINT PERSPECTIVE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND INNOVATION . 99
Fernando Portugal Pescador

CHAPTER II: COLLABORATION AND CONNECTIVITY

MEXICO & CANADA: NEIGHBOURS BY CHOICE . 115
Juan José Gómez Camacho

BUILDING A LASTING BRIDGE: THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTS IN SHAPING MEXICO-CANADA RELATIONS . 119
Julie Dzerowicz and Marc G. Serré

MEXICO AND CANADA: BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATING STRATEGY . 127
Ildefonso Guajardo

QUEBEC & MEXICO RELATIONS . 133
Stéphanie Allard-Gomez

THE MEXICO-CANADA RELATIONSHIP IS WHAT IT IS, NOT WHAT WE WANT IT TO BE . 139
Carlo Dade & Agustín Barrios Gómez

MEXICO & CANADA: FROM SHARED COMMITMENT TO COMMON CHALLENGES . 145
Solange Márquez Espinoza

CHAPTER III: PEOPLE, EDUCATION AND CULTURE

MEDIA RELATIONSHIP, WHY DO WE NOT CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER? . 159
José Carreño Figueras

A BRIGHT FUTURE. THE NEW NORTH AMERICA STUDENT MOBILITY PROJECT . 167
Sergio Alcocer, Martha Navarro and Fernanda López

ACADEMIC UNDERSTANDING. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH . 191
Ana Eloísa Heredia García

COMMON LAW AND CIVIL LAW. UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER’S SYSTEM . 199
Julieta Ovalle Piedra

CONCLUSION

IS THERE STILL A VISION FOR A NORTH AMERICAN COMMUNITY? . 207
Colin Robertson

CONTRIBUTORS. 215

REFERENCES . 229

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