Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that as of December 1, the Canadian government will no longer require Mexican citizens to obtain visas before travelling to Canada.
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Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel said Trudeau was politicizing a matter of national security by dropping the visa requirement for Mexican visitors.
The Mexican president, who has been on a state visit to Canada since Monday, is to sign on to the Canada-U.S. methane reduction deal announced when Trudeau visited Washington last March.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has been working and waiting a long time to hear the news Tuesday that Mexico will be lifting its restriction of Canadian beef exports starting in October. “We’re here to renew the relationship Canada and Mexico have and we’re clearing our way”.
Five airlines offer non-stop service between Vancouver and Mexico: Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing, Air Transat and Aeromexico.
“Canada and Mexico are fully convinced that global trade and regional integration are the main strengths of shared economic growth and social well-being”, he said.
But the future of NAFTA could be uncertain after the US election, which looks set to pit Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
That help is what good neighbours do and is much appreciated, Trudeau said. Trudeau pledged during last year’s election campaign to “immediately” lift the visa restriction.
All three nations are also members of the 12-nation trade known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which has become a relevant target in both sides in the USA election and has received little support from Congress. President Obama has said he wants to put an end to the TPP as part of his economic legacy in Asia, as the Daily Mail reported.
“Since 2009, this barrier has been set, but today thanks to a great political will, we are bringing it down” Pena Nieto said in Spanish.
The policy had been imposed by the previous Conservative government to stem the flow of asylum claims from Mexico which almost tripled from 2005 to 2008, when Mexicans accounted for more than 25 per cent of all refugee claims filed in Canada.
This year’s meeting will “focus on creating jobs, strengthening North American communities, and building a clean growth economy”, Trudeau said in a statement.
Pena Nieto will attend a state dinner in his honor on Tuesday night.
The United States, Canada and Mexico will on June 29 promise to generate half their overall electricity from clean energy by 2025, the White House said.
“There will be discussion about infrastructure, for sure”, said Deese.
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A Three Amigos summit was scheduled to be held previous year but was cancelled amid the Canada-U.S. dispute over the Keystone XL oil pipeline and the dispute over the visa requirement.
