Report

The Canadian Section of ParlAmericas sent a delegation of five parliamentarians to participate in a bilateral visit to Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico, which took place from March 2–6, 2026. The Canadian delegation was composed of the Honourable Senator Margot Greenwood; the Honourable Senator Michael MacDonald; Randy Hoback, Member of Parliament; Anthony Housefather, Member of Parliament; and the Head of Delegation, Patricia Lattanzio, Member of Parliament and Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas. The delegation was supported by Mark Palmer, association secretary, and an association advisor, Clare Annett.

PARTICIPATION IN THE PARLAMERICAS PARLIAMENTARY BILATERAL VISIT TO MEXICO CITY AND MONTERREY, MEXICO

From March 2–6, the delegation participated in a bilateral visit to Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico. The purpose of the bilateral visit was for members of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas to establish new, and reinforce existing, relationships with members of Mexico’s current government, Senate, and Chamber of Deputies, with the intention of strengthening the existing relationship between Canada and Mexico. A secondary objective was building relationships between Canadian parliamentarians and representatives of Mexico’s private sector and civil society organizations.

A.   Meetings in Mexico City

The delegation participated in meetings in Mexico City from March 2 until March 4, 2026, after which it travelled to Monterrey for the remainder of the bilateral visit.

a.   Activities on March 2, 2026

In Mexico City, on the first day of the bilateral visit, Canadian parliamentarians met with Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Canada in Mexico, Susan Pereverzoff, along with several embassy officials. The meeting highlighted that Canada and Mexico share strong bilateral relations, as demonstrated by the successful Team Canada Trade Mission to Mexico in February 2026. The trade mission generated 23 concrete outcomes, including signed agreements, new partnerships, expanded air connectivity, and sector-specific collaborations. The delegation heard that Mexico is a very important partner for Canadian trade, but that there remain several ongoing challenges affecting bilateral trade and investment. Parliamentarians, however, can play an important role in supporting bilateral trade and investment efforts, such as facilitating connections between Canadian and Mexican stakeholders and advocating for increased regulatory transparency and consultation.

The delegation then met with David Mora, Senior Analyst for Mexico, at the International Crisis Group, an independent and non-governmental organization that aims to provide analysis and advice on how to prevent, resolve or improve the management of deadly conflicts, and promote peace. The discussion focused on Mexico’s justice system, and some key challenges related to security, corruption, and impunity in Mexico. The delegation asked about Mexico’s high arrest rates, but also the high levels of impunity in the country. David Mora explained that often the arrests are targeting low-level criminal actors, and that there is a very high volume of pending cases in the judicial system, which can contribute to ongoing difficulties in effectively addressing crime and accountability.

The delegation later met with Irma Adriana Casillas and Araceli Cruz, Indigenous Local and Indigenous Community Enterprise Confederation, to speak about supporting Indigenous women’s economic empowerment through community enterprises and training. Indigenous women entrepreneurs in Mexico face similar barriers to Indigenous women in Canada, such as limited financing, market access challenges and discrimination. During a previous bilateral visit to Guatemala, members of the delegation had heard about challenges for Indigenous peoples related to the protection of cultural art and intellectual property laws. Irma Adriana Casillas and Araceli Cruz agreed that similar challenges exist for Indigenous women in Mexico. Senator Greenwood spoke about the importance of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the ways in which Indigenous Peoples in both Canada and Mexico can use this declaration to advocate for their rights.

Finally, the last meeting of the day was with Juan Carlos Baker, Director General and Founding Partner of Ansley International Consultants, which is a Mexico City-based consulting firm focused on providing strategic advice for governments and businesses related to international trade and investment and regulatory issues. He provided a high-level overview of the upcoming Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) review. The delegation was pleased to hear that there is a shared view among Mexican stakeholders that Canada is a close and important trade partner, and the delegation underlined the value of continued Canada–Mexico cooperation in these trade discussions.

b.   Activities on March 3, 2026

On the second day of the bilateral visit in Mexico City, the delegation started the morning with the Global Alliance for Care, an organization working to advance the global care agenda that has received Government of Canada funding to support its efforts. Representatives of the organization spoke about the organization’s work on the global care agenda through collaboration among governments, civil society, and international organizations, with emphasis on recognizing care work as essential to economic and social development. Finally, the delegation pointed to Canada’s childcare systems, both at the national level and in Quebec, and the resulting economic and social benefits of investing in care work through these systems.

The remainder of the day was spent at the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, where the delegation met with various Mexican counterparts, and upwards of 35 members of the Mexico-Canada Congressional Friendship Group. The meeting was chaired by Member of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, Pedro Haces. Ms. Lattanzio provided remarks on behalf of the delegation, speaking about the significance of Canada and Mexico’s trade relationship, and both countries’ deep appreciation for one another. She emphasized that parliamentarians have a role to play in maintaining and strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two nations and encouraged those in attendance to participate in the upcoming ParlAmericas gathering in Ottawa in May 2026. Mr. Hoback spoke about the significance of migration between Canada and Mexico, notably the deep appreciation that Canadians who travel to Mexico as tourists have for the relationships they build with Mexican people, as well as the importance of Mexican agricultural workers coming to contribute to Canada’s agricultural industries. Following the meeting, the delegation was invited to the floor of the Chamber of Deputies, as the President of the Chamber, Kenia López Rabadán, acknowledged the bilateral visit.

c.   Activities on March 4, 2026

The first meeting of the day was with Luis Noriega, National President of the of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico, and colleagues. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico plays a key role in facilitating entry for Canadian companies into Mexico’s market, as well as advocacy, and knowledge sharing. The meeting highlighted strengthening Canada–Mexico economic ties, particularly following the success of the recent 2026 Team Canada Trade Mission. Discussions also focused on trade frameworks such as CUSMA and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, persistent challenges related to Canada-Mexico trade, such as complex taxation and auditing systems, and access to financing for SMEs expanding internationally. The delegation heard about shared priorities on labour rights, and about the Chamber’s commitment to inclusivity. Notably, the Chamber is working to increase Indigenous business representation among its members.

The remainder of the day’s meetings were held at the Mexican Senate. The delegation met with Alejandro Murat, Chair of the Senate of Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and Ruth González, Chair of the Senate of Mexico’s Foreign Affairs–North America Committee for a brief discussion, before joining a larger group of more than 30 Mexican Senators for a broader exchange. Discussions emphasized the importance of strengthening Canada–Mexico relations through multilateralism, mutual support for international law, and sustained interparliamentary engagement, particularly in the context of evolving global pressures and security challenges.

Ms. Lattanzio shared data related to Canada-Mexico bilateral trade, emphasizing that Canada is grateful for Mexico’s ongoing commitment to collaboration with Canada. During the dialogue, Mexican Senators highlighted priorities in their work, including efforts to reduce violence and organized crime in Mexico, while also underscoring the growing economic relationship with Canada and the desire to deepen trade ties alongside existing agreements such as CUSMA. Senator MacDonald underscored the importance for Canada in attracting increased foreign direct investment from Mexico, and ensuring that the existing trade relationship is sustainable and beneficial for both Mexico and Canada.

The delegation was pleased to hear positive perspectives about mobility between Canada and Mexico, particularly through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, as well as the importance of tourism. Regarding environmental sustainability, Mexican Senators spoke very positively about Canada’s recycling system, and identified opportunities for collaboration on emissions reduction and on regulatory frameworks that promote stability and long-term investment in environmental sustainability. The delegation was invited to the floor of the Senate Chamber and observed the Mexican Senate’s International Women’s Day celebration. Following these activities, the delegation departed for the airport to travel to Monterrey, Mexico, to continue the bilateral visit.

B.   Monterrey, Mexico

a.   Activities on March 5, 2026

The Consul-General of Canada in Monterrey, Annabelle Larouche, met with the delegation prior to the day’s activities for a briefing on Monterrey and the State of Nuevo León. She accompanied the delegation to their meetings in Monterrey for the remainder of the bilateral visit.

The first official meeting of the day was at the Congress of the State of Nuevo León, where the delegation met with the President of the Congress of Nuevo León, Deputy Itzel Soledad Castillo Almanaza, as well as three members of the State’s congress: Deputy Claudia Gabriela Caballero Chávez; Deputy Claudia Mayela Chapa Marmolejo; and Deputy Jesús Alberto Elizondo Salazar. President Castillo provided opening remarks, followed by Ms. Lattanzio, who delivered remarks on behalf of the delegation. Both parliamentarians expressed their gratitude at the opportunity to meet; the delegation was very interested to hear about the division of powers in Mexico, and the activities of State legislatures.

The discussion covered a range of economic, social, and environmental subjects. The representatives of the Nuevo León legislature emphasized the importance of promoting local consumption in Mexico, while also diversifying trade, and highlighted opportunities to strengthen innovation and industrial development. When speaking about improving bilateral trade and investment with Canada, the discussion focused on existing barriers, including limited awareness and incentives for Mexican companies seeking to expand into Canadian markets. Mr. Housefather spoke about some issues that the delegation had heard related to taxation and auditing systems in Mexico. He noted that these systems can create significant administrative work and financial burdens for all businesses in the country, but that Canadian companies trying to enter, or thrive in, Mexican markets may be deterred by the challenges these systems create. The Mexican deputies agreed that this is an issue that Mexican governments of all levels are discussing.

The discussion covered a range of economic, social, and environmental subjects. The representatives of the Nuevo León legislature emphasized the importance of promoting local consumption in Mexico, while also diversifying trade, and highlighted opportunities to strengthen innovation and industrial development. When speaking about improving bilateral trade and investment with Canada, the discussion focused on existing barriers, including limited awareness and incentives for Mexican companies seeking to expand into Canadian markets. Mr. Housefather spoke about some issues that the delegation had heard related to taxation and auditing systems in Mexico. He noted that these systems can create significant administrative work and financial burdens for all businesses in the country, but that Canadian companies trying to enter, or thrive in, Mexican markets may be deterred by the challenges these systems create. The Mexican deputies agreed that this is an issue that Mexican governments of all levels are discussing.

Migration trends were also discussed, particularly the return of Mexicans to the region from abroad. The delegation heard that many Mexican families, when returning from living abroad, will have accumulated capital from working elsewhere and owning property in other countries, which enhances their entrepreneurial potential upon return to Mexico. As the discussion concluded, environmental concerns, including poor air quality and its link to respiratory health issues, were raised, along with the interconnectedness of Indigenous rights, environmental stewardship, and health under frameworks such as UNDRIP.

The delegation met with representatives of the organization Consejo Nuevo León: Ana Fernanda Hierro Barba, Technical Secretary; José Quiroga, Administrative and Legal Director and Coordinator of the Economic Development Commission; and Oswaldo Morales, Analysis and Evaluation Coordinator. The meeting began with an overview of Consejo Nuevo León, an organization operating for over 11 years to strengthen democracy by bringing together academia, civil society, and the private sector to support government decision-making. It contributes to the State government’s policy process, across 27 subject areas, by convening government and non-government leaders, supported by experts, to design and evaluate public policies.

Canadian parliamentarians asked about Consejo’s key successes and challenges. Representatives highlighted their ability to build trust across successive governments and cited a project related to a restructuring of the state pension system as a major achievement. The discussion also focused on social policy, particularly caregiving. Ms. Lattanzio spoke about Canada’s and Quebec’s childcare systems, noting recent federal and provincial efforts to expand access and formalize care through public funding and regulated services. In contrast, Consejo representatives noted that in Mexico, many women remain excluded from the workforce due to unpaid caregiving responsibilities. They highlighted ongoing work to address this through policy development, training, and exploring certification pathways for informal caregivers.

For the final meeting of the day, the delegation heard from the organization Nuevo León, ¿Cómo Vamos?, including the organization’s Director Luis Ávila, as well as several representatives, Gabriela Suárez, Bárbara Martínez, Carolina Hernández and Pamela Quirarte. Nuevo León, ¿Cómo Vamos? is a non-profit organization that promotes government accountability through data and research evaluations. It aims to strengthen democracy by collecting and analyzing information across key policy areas and advancing three main lines of action: evaluation, debate, and improvement. This includes assessing government performance, fostering civic participation, and promoting more transparent and efficient governance through stakeholder engagement.

The organization complements national statistics by conducting annual, region-wide surveys and working with a broad network of civil society, academic, and private sector partners. A key initiative is its civic participation survey, which measures public trust, priorities, and satisfaction with services, alongside formal evaluations based on government data. Findings are publicly released and presented to senior state officials to encourage accountability. For instance, a recent evaluation of the state legislature highlighted issues such as inconsistent data availability and a backlog of bills to be discussed in the legislature. The delegation congratulated the organization on their work and emphasized the importance of data on civic engagement, noting that without this engagement, citizens cannot hold their representatives accountable. Finally, the delegation asked about the collection of disaggregated data. The organization agreed that there is a need for more detailed, disaggregated data to better understand inequalities and inform policy.

b.   Activities on March 6, 2026

On the final day of the bilateral visit, the delegation visited the Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM). At the university, the delegation participated in a dialogue with academic experts and representatives of the university:

• Isabella Navarro, Vice President for Integral Formation and Student Affairs
• Alejandra Yáñez, Director of Internationalization
• Marcela Chavarría, Dean, School of Law and Social Sciences
• Patricia Fernández, Director, Department of Social Sciences
• Rafael Ibarra, Director, Department of Law
• José Fredman, Coordinator, UDEM Institute of Political Studies
• Ana Lilia Ramos, Manager of Internationalization at Home and International Cooperation
• Gabriela Cantú, Faculty Member, School of Law and Social Sciences
• Samuel Ramírez, Faculty Member, School of Law and Social Sciences
• Melissa Ávila, Faculty Member, School of Law and Social Sciences
• Juan Carlos Montero, Faculty Member, School of Law and Social Sciences

The discussion highlighted key themes around governance, economic development, and security in Nuevo León. Academic participants noted evolving democratic dynamics related to transparency, and the judicial and constitutional reforms that are happening at all levels of governments in Mexico. The delegation asked clarifying questions about judicial and constitutional reforms, to which the panelists provided additional details. Mexico is currently undertaking judicial reforms aimed at reshaping how the judiciary operates, with a focus on increasing accountability and public participation. These reforms introduce an electoral mechanism into the process through which judges are selected, among other changes. The reforms are part of broader efforts to improve access to justice, efficiency, and public trust. Panelists also mentioned that despite constitutional reforms related to gender parity in legislatures, rising digital violence against women in politics remains an issue.

Beyond the judicial and constitutional reforms, discussions focussed on tensions between strong economic growth in the region and ongoing structural challenges, including water scarcity, air pollution, infrastructure strain, and social inequality. Finally, security issues were discussed, with academics acknowledging that while rates of violence are declining, criminal organizations remain active throughout every region of the country. The delegation asked about the use of artificial intelligence and misinformation, and the ways in which these may be used by criminal organizations. The panelists agreed that this is an emerging challenge, while also discussing other key concerns related to these criminal organizations, including the extortion of businesses operating in the country, money laundering, and the use of youth in organized crime.

The delegation later met with two journalists, Luis Padua and Eloy Garza, of El Horizonte newspaper, and heard about their career experiences as political journalists in the State of Nuevo León. The delegation spoke about the role of the media, and of political journalists in Canada. The press in the Canadian Parliament works to inform the public about legislative activities and provides oversight by reporting on the actions and decisions of elected officials.

Finally, the delegation concluded its bilateral visit with a meeting with Andrés Franco, Director General of the Mexican Council for Foreign Trade of the Northeast, a private, non profit organization that represents and supports the private sector by promoting Mexico’s foreign trade and investment, and providing strategic guidance, training, and trade facilitation for Mexican companies operating internationally. Mr. Franco provided an overview of Mexico’s economic and trade outlook. He noted that exports had grown significantly since 2024, with particularly strong performance in regions such as Chihuahua, driven by high-tech industries and integration with Asian supply chains. He also highlighted a shift in key growth drivers, with machinery and equipment surpassing the automotive sector in export participation.

The discussion then focused on Mexico–Canada trade relations, where he explained that exports from Mexico to Canada have increased significantly. The automotive sector remained a major component of exports for Mexico, while key Canadian exports to Mexico included canola seeds and aircraft parts. When the delegation asked about barriers to increasing Canada’s exports to Mexico, Mr. Franco spoke about transportation patterns, noting that Mexican exports to Canada are transported largely by rail as well as truck, whereas imports from Canada relied more heavily on trucking.

The CPAM bilateral visit to Mexico City and Monterrey provided a valuable opportunity to deepen engagement between parliamentarians of both countries, as well as with Canadian companies and organizations in Mexico, reinforcing the strong and enduring partnership between Canada and Mexico. Discussions throughout the visit underscored the importance of strong economic and trade relations. Equally significant were exchanges focused on sustaining and expanding parliament-to-parliament collaboration, and connections among parliamentarians, which remain essential for fostering mutual understanding, democratic dialogue, and institutional cooperation. The delegation’s engagements with legislators, private sector representatives, and civil society actors contributed meaningfully to advancing these objectives.

Travel Expenses

Travel expenses associated with this activity can be found in the delegation’s financial report. This report is available in the Financial Disclosure section of the Parliamentary Diplomacy website.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Lattanzio, MP

Chair, Canadian Section of ParlAmericas