Mexico and Canada Boost Cybersecurity, Anti-Crime Cooperation

During the official visit to Mexico on Sept. 18, 2025, Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney met President Claudia Sheinbaum to form an alliance that will focus on cybersecurity and fight transnational criminal organizations.

The agreement responds to the presence of criminal structures in both nations. "There are Mexican cartels in Canada and Canadian cartels in Mexico," Carney says. "We cooperate with Mexican authorities, we share information, and we are deepening this cooperation."

The meeting, held at Mexico's Palacio Nacional, does not represent a starting point, but rather the formalization and strengthening of a security cooperation that has been developing for years. Historically, Canada and Mexico have collaborated through their respective security institutions to exchange information and best practices in areas such as crime prevention, border security, and migration management.

Historical collaborations had materialized in specific programs, such as the training of Mexican police forces by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) at the Canadian Police College. Furthermore, the complexity and transnational character of security threats have prompted trilateral work with the United States and active participation in multilateral forums like the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of American States (OAS). The new agreement seeks to scale these efforts, with a particular emphasis on the challenges of the digital era and the sophistication of criminal networks.

An Actionable Framework for Deeper Cooperation

The deepening of this strategic alliance will be structured across several specific action areas and will build on existing cooperation frameworks under the Mexico-Canada Action Plan 2025–2028, expanding their scope and effectiveness.

A central component of the new agreement is the transfer of knowledge and technology in cybersecurity. President Sheinbaum states that Mexico is interested in assimilating Canadian experience in digital security. “We particularly discussed that Canada has a great deal of experience in cybersecurity. We are very interested in learning how they work on this issue so that there can be cooperation and collaboration in terms of best practices,” states Sheinbaum.

This focus seeks to strengthen Mexico's critical digital infrastructure and improve the capabilities of security agencies to prevent, detect, and respond to cyberattacks. A parallel goal is to optimize border management by learning from Canadian models to secure territorial limits without undermining national sovereignty. The objective is to design more efficient mechanisms that combine technology and operational protocols to control the flow of goods and people.

Beyond cybersecurity, the agreement establishes a detailed, multi-faceted framework for cooperation across security, defense, environmental, and economic sectors. The plan outlines specific dialogues and joint initiatives to operationalize the renewed partnership.

Mexico and Canada will establish a formal Bilateral Security Dialogue to deepen strategic collaboration. A primary goal of this dialogue is to reinforce joint efforts to interrupt the illicit trafficking of narcotics, including fentanyl and chemical precursors, firearms, and other illicit goods. The cooperation will also target human trafficking and money laundering through enhanced law enforcement and information exchange between border management and security agencies.

Within the North American Dialogue on Drug Policy (NADD), the two countries will advance initiatives to monitor synthetic drug trends, improve financial intelligence sharing to combat illicit financial flows, and pursue asset recovery. All actions will be conducted within the legal framework of each country, respecting national sovereignty.

The nations also intend to collaborate on locating and prosecuting priority targets, including extradition processes according to their respective legal frameworks. The agreement provides for specialized police training and professional exchanges to improve the operational effectiveness of security agencies.

This work builds on the 2018 Mexico-Canada Defense Cooperation Agreement. The Mexico-Canada Bilateral Defense Dialogue will continue to serve as the high-level forum for strategic interaction, guiding initiatives within the Military Training Cooperation Program and promoting the integration of a gender perspective in defense matters.

In addition, the agreement details a profound shared commitment to environmental stewardship and climate action. Mexico and Canada will deepen cooperation on the sustainable management of protected natural areas, which will be supported by a renewed memorandum of understanding between Mexico's National Commission of Natural Protected Areas and Parks Canada to be signed this year.

This agreement lays the groundwork for a coordinated stance ahead of the next North American Leaders' Summit. The reinforced security cooperation is a strategic step toward presenting a united front against common threats that affect the region's stability and economic potential. The challenge for both governments will be to translate these high-level agreements into tangible operational results that strengthen the rule of law and ensure a secure environment for investment and economic development.