Trudeau Arrives to Mexico for North American Leaders’ Summit

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived at the Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA) to participate in the 10th North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico. Trudeau told the media that his priorities during the meeting included resolving the energy dispute. 

The leaders of Mexico, the US and Canada and their partners will attend a dinner at the Mexican National Palace to start the Summit. Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Relations Marcelo Ebrard and the Canadian Ambassador to Mexico Graeme Clark received Trudeau at AIFA.

“Taking off for Mexico City. Over the next few days, I’ll be meeting with @POTUS Biden, President @LopezObrador_, and business leaders to strengthen our economies, create good jobs, and build a better future for people across North America. More to come – stay tuned,” tweeted Trudeau before flying to Mexico. Among the priorities to be resolved are outstanding USMCA talking points involving companies in the energy and automotive sectors. Trudeau told Reuters that he would argue that resolving the energy dispute would help attract more foreign investment to Mexico. Ahead of the summit, officials have publicly emphasized North America’s shared economic interests, while privately tempering prospects for a breakthrough over the energy dispute.

“Our relationship [with Canada] is better than good. Canadian companies invest in Mexico without obstacles and the Canadian government has been generous in granting temporary work visas to our compatriots,” tweeted President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. 

On July 20, 2022, Washington requested dispute settlement consultations with Mexico, claiming that the latter had implemented discriminatory policies against US energy companies in favor of Mexico’s state-owned electric company Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and its state oil firm PEMEX. A day later, Canada joined in support of the US challenge. According to AS/COA North American Leaders Summit Brief, on Dec. 12, 2022, the trade leaders of the three countries published a working outline to solve issues with the Mexican Ministry of Economy, which said it is committed to accelerate the process to create certainty for investors. The outcome of the consultations is pending and some hope it will be resolved during the summit. Gabriela Siller, Professor of Economics, Tec de Monterrey, and Director of Economic Analysis, Base Financial Group, told Forbes Mexico that although over a quarter of Mexico’s GDP depends on the US, the northern country also needs Mexican trade, which is why it is being cautious with the prospect of sanctions.

According to the summit agenda published by Ebrard, the three leaders and their wives will meet today for dinner. Tomorrow, they will participate in a working lunch alongside delegations from the three countries. There will also be a trilateral meeting with delegations from three countries and, finally, a message from the three leaders regarding the summit and advances made. 

The visit will end on Wednesday, Jan. 11.