Ottawa sees ‘huge opportunity’ as trade delegation heads to Mexico, says cabinet minister
Ottawa sees ‘huge opportunity’ as trade delegation heads to Mexico, says cabinet minister
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trade-canada-mexico-9.7089835
Publish Date: 2026-02-15 09:11:00
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A Canadian trade mission to Mexico this week could produce new deals by early spring, and marks the country’s “most significant” such mission ever to Mexico, according to Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
LeBlanc is leading the mission, which will see over 370 Canadian delegates and more than 200 businesses in Mexico from Sunday to Monday — visiting Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara.
Canadian trade with Mexico totalled $56 billion in 2024, a 12-fold increase since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into force in 1995. Mexico is Canada’s third-largest trading partner after the U.S. and China.
But “there is still, in our view, a huge opportunity to expand trading opportunities,” LeBlanc told CBC News.
LeBlanc, who will be joined by Heritage Minister Marc Miller and Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, said he believes the mission could lead to new business ties in the near future.
“Our plan would be to come back at the end of March again and hopefully ink deals that lead to direct opportunities.”
Workers with the Montreal-based firm Solfium run checks on a solar panel installation in Querétaro, in Querétaro state, Mexico. (Glen Kugelstadt/CBC)
‘Trade uncertainty’
Chad Watson, CEO of Quickmill, which is based in Peterborough, Ont., is travelling with the trade mission. His company builds industrial machine tools, has been in business for 50 years and does about $2 million a year worth of business in Mexico.
“We are looking to expand and balance our global portfolio of customers,” said Watson.
The bulk of Quickmill’s $20 million worth of yearly sales comes from the U.S., says Watson, and the company’s exports are covered under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which replaced…
