XVIth Canada-Mexico Interparliamentary Meeting (IPM), Saint John, New Brunswick and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The XVIth Canada-Mexico Interparliamentary Meeting was held in Canada from November 13 to 16, 2009, consecutively in Saint John, New Brunswick, on November 13 and 14, then in Ottawa, on November 15 and 16.

Interparliamentary relations are an integral part of the bonds between Canada and Mexico. Regular Canada-Mexico interparliamentary meetings (IPM), first launched in 1975, constitute the main venue for this dialogue. These meetings offer a constructive opportunity for Mexican and Canadian parliamentarians to share experiences, learn from each other, and promote their respective cultures. From the outset, these meetings have covered a range of topics including trade, energy, hemispheric security, international justice, economic and democratic development, and cultural diffusion.

The Mexican delegation was composed of:

• His Excellency Carlos Navarrete Ruiz, Speaker of the Senate of the United Mexican States;
• His Excellency Luis Alberto Villarreal García, Senator, Chair of the Foreign Relations – North America Committee;
• Her Excellency Rosario Green Macías, Senator, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee;
• His Excellency Eloy Cantú Segovia, Senator, Chair of the Trade and Industrial Promotion Committee;
• Her Excellency Adriana González Carrillo, Senator, Secretary of the Foreign Relations Committee;
• His Excellency Silvano Aureoles Conejo, Senator, Vice-Coordinator of the Democratic Revolution Party Senate Caucus;
• His Excellency Ricardo Monreal Ávila, Senator, Coordinator of the Labour Party Senate Caucus;
• His Excellency Porfirio Muñoz Ledo, Deputy, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee;
• His Excellency Francisco Javier Salazar Sáenz, Deputy, Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee;
• His Excellency Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, Deputy, Chair of the Economy Committee;
• His Excellency Jorge Alberto Juraidini Rumilla, Deputy, Secretary of the Economy Committee;
• His Excellency Martín García Avilés, Deputy, Secretary of the Social Development Committee; and
• His Excellency Jaime Álvarez Cisneros, Deputy, Secretary of the Foreign Relations Committee.

The following Canadian parliamentarians took part in the XVIth Canada-Mexico Interparliamentary Meeting:

• The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate (Saint John and Ottawa);
• The Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons (Ottawa);
• The Honourable Céline Hervieux-Payette, P.C., Senator (Saint John and Ottawa);
• The Honourable Gerald Comeau, Senator (Ottawa);
• The Honourable John Wallace, Senator (Saint John and Ottawa);
• The Honourable Daniel Lang, Senator (Ottawa);
• The Honourable Carolyn Stewart Olsen, Senator (Saint John and Ottawa);
• The Honourable Keith Ashfield, M.P., Minister of State – Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (Saint John);
• The Honourable Peter Kent, M.P., Minister of State of Foreign Affairs – Americas (Ottawa);
• Mr. Claude Bachand, M.P. (Ottawa);
• Mr. Peter Julian, M.P. (Ottawa);
• Mr. Mario Silva, M.P. (Ottawa);
• Mr. Paul Dewar, M.P. (Ottawa);
• Mr. Christian Ouellet, M.P. (Saint John);
• Mr. Thierry St-Cyr, M.P. (Ottawa);
• Mr. Dave Van Kesteren, M.P. (Ottawa);
• Ms. Lois Brown, M.P. (Ottawa);
• Mr. Bruce Hyer, M.P. (Ottawa);
• Ms. Alexandra Mendès, M.P. (Ottawa);
• Mr. Ted Menzies, M.P. (Ottawa); and
• Mr. Rodney Weston, M.P. (Saint John and Ottawa).

This forum is the reflection of the close cooperation that the two countries maintain as strategic political and economic partners, not only bilaterally, but also within the North American region.

While in Saint John, the Canadian and Mexican parliamentarians met to draw attention to existing and future regional economic linkages and opportunities between Canada and Mexico in areas such as strategic port alliances, energy, agriculture and aquaculture, as well as other bilateral trade and investment interests. The XVIth Canada-Mexico Interparliamentary Meeting also included four business sessions in Saint John and later in Ottawa on:

• Environment and Clean Energy;
• Trade, Investment and the Economy;
• Regional Security; and
• International Cooperation.

At the conclusion of their meetings, the parliamentarians adopted a Final Declaration, which was signed by the respective heads of the delegations.