From Gnawing Problems to Soaring Plans: The Beaver and the Eagle Team up to Rebuild the Nest

by Silke Reichrath

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Mexico on September 18 – 19, 2025, was widely seen in the Canadian mainstream and ethnic media as well as international sources as part of a strategic reset of the Canada - Mexico relationship ahead of the 2026 review of the Canada - United States - Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). 

Tariffs and Tensions

Both Canada and Mexico are heavily reliant on trade with the US and severely impacted by US tariffs. El Financiero in Mexico City commented that US President Donald Trump's tariffs on steel and autos have “wounded” both countries, yet neither has successfully negotiated relief alone (El Financiero, September 18, 2025). Toronto’s East FM Tamil radio called the tariffs a nuisance and reminded listeners of President Donald Trump’s threats to force Canada to become the 51st state as a rationale for Canada “teaming up” with Mexico (East FM 102.7, September 20, 2025).

At minimum, the visit signaled an intention to strengthen bilateral relations and coordinate approaches to the trilateral pact rather than throwing each other under the proverbial bus, as former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and Premier Doug Ford had suggested (Globe and Mail, September 16, 2025). The encounter followed Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s participation in the G7 summit in Alberta, where she was invited based on pressure from the Canadian business world in hopes for a turnaround in bilateral relations tainted by Freeland’s and Ford’s comments (OMNI Italian, September 18, 2025). 

Calls for Unity

Mainstream and ethnic Canadian media as well as international media widely agreed on the importance for Canada of having Mexico as an ally in negotiations with the US and of diversifying trade partners. Business Council of Canada CEO Goldy Hyder told OMNI Italian that there definitely is more untapped potential in the Mexico-Canada relationship, and that the meeting was also a chance to align better on how they are going to manage the CUSMA process. He added that each country talking about cutting each other out is not in either country's interest when they are in a room with a president who likes to win by having others lose (OMNI Italian, September 18, 2025).

La Presse showed Carney during a symbolic visit to the Canadian Pacific Railway Kansas City (CPKC) marshalling yard. This Canadian company's 32,000 km rail network is the only one to connect all of North America, from Montreal to Mexico City. It is a symbol of free trade between Canada, the United States, and Mexico (La Presse, September 22, 2025). 

Photo-Op or Tangible Progress?

While Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre relegated the trip to a photo-op, El Financiero argued that the joint press conference Thursday represented more than diplomatic theatre and that it was an economic necessity. “The lesson is clear: in Trump's transactional world, North America's junior partners must present a united front or risk being picked off individually in the coming trade negotiations” (El Financiero, September 18, 2025).

There are concrete outcomes to the meeting: Carney and Sheinbaum signed a three-year commitment to a strategic partnership covering trade, investment, energy corridors, security, migration, climate and infrastructure. They highlighted that this was “complementary” to CUSMA and emphasized their optimism about North America remaining the most competitive region in the world by collaborating closely at the continental level (OMNI Punjabi, September 19, 2025). Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand promised that the responsible ministers would review progress on the action plan every three months.

The trip was timed to coincide with the launch of public consultations in all three countries leading up to the CUSMA review. Minister Responsible for Canada-US Trade Dominic LeBlanc announced from Mexico City that they are looking for very specific suggestions from Canadian industry and Canadian workers in terms of what they might advance at the review table with the US (OMNI Italian, September 19, 2025). 

The Business Angle

The visit also involved a roundtable with Canadian and Mexican business leaders. El Universal in Mexico City highlighted that Canadian Senator Peter Boehm, Laura Macdonald of Carleton University’s Institute of Political Economy, and Flavio Volpe of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association have spoken out against Canadian politicians who disparage Mexico and have said that Canada does indeed need Mexico. 

They cited University of Toronto Professor Nelson Wiseman as postulating that Mexico and Canada now share a common threat in the United States. Like many news media, they also underlined that Mexico is Canada’s third-biggest trading partner after the US and China, while Canada was Mexico’s fifth-biggest trading partner in 2024 (El Universal, September 18, 2025).

International Observations

International media such as the Polish TVN24 in Warsaw and the Korean News 1 concur that the visit was an important step to repair diplomatic relations after Canadian politicians called for bilateral deals with the US, and that unity between Canada and Mexico was important to their strategic positioning ahead of the CUSMA review (TVN24, September 19, 2025). News 1 in Seoul noted predictions that this review could lead to a substantive "renegotiation" rather than a simple "review" (News 1, September 19, 2025).
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Across languages and continents, the visit was read as more than a polite diplomatic exchange. Canadian and international media emphasized survival in the face of U.S. tariffs, solidarity in the bilateral alliance and strategic timing. Together, these perspectives sketch a bigger picture: the beaver and the eagle aren’t just rebuilding a nest - they’re trying to fortify it before the coming storm.

Contact MIREMS to discover how our expertise in decoding these multilingual narratives can fortify your strategies in this new era - essential intelligence for Canada's pivot.