A major Canadian trade mission, new bilateral agreements, and supply-chain diversification signal a shift that could reshape how this continent does business.
Honestly even before Trump I always found the demonization of Mexico to be a tad strange, even if there was a grain of truth to things like the drug problem I’d always ask “okay but how bad is it really?” And maybe there was a point in time where it was as bad as the US said but over time and after several vacations I came to the realization that we’d fallen into the trap of treating Mexico at best like a second fiddle because of that perception for so long and it never sat right with me so I’m glad we’re at least trying to address it in some form
Good one. I was going to repost but see it's going x22 times already. We need steady, objective fellows like you to help us see the connections, Fred. Much appreciated. Hope I can do as well when I hit your senior years. At 79 I'm still learning. :-)
The goal to double non-U.S. trade isn't just a talking point. Budget 2025 actually put $5 billion toward a Trade Diversification Corridors Fund over seven years to back it up. I looked at the Hansard record from February 12, and the chamber was already debating how the U.S. tariff conflict had cost 5,000 Canadian auto workers their jobs. That context makes this Mexico mission, led by Minister LeBlanc with 370 delegates, feel less like a feel-good trade trip and more like Ottawa finally putting real money behind a structural shift it had been signalling for years.
I share in the optimism of direct trade relations with Mexico. My concern, however, is, how do we guardrail and protect Canada from the mexican cartel who undoubtedly has a strong hold in the import and export funnel?
Cool - how are we handling the murders of the Canadian mining execs in this wonderful new team? Ya know, i almost think you might be a Liberal Propagandist Fred.
Hey Gemini: when was the last time Canadian business execs were abducted and killed in (a) Mexico and (b) the USA
Gemini said
Recent events have brought these specific concerns to the forefront, particularly regarding the mining industry in Mexico. Based on the most current reports as of February 2026, here are the details:
(a) Mexico
The most recent and high-profile case occurred just weeks ago, involving employees of a Canadian mining firm.
Incident Date: January 23, 2026.
Company:Vizsla Silver Corp. (Vancouver-based).
Details: Ten employees were abducted from the company’s Panuco silver-gold project near Concordia, Sinaloa.
Outcome: On February 9, 2026, authorities and the company confirmed that the bodies of several workers had been discovered in a mass grave near the village of El Verde.
Identified Victims: The deceased included José Manuel Castañeda Hernández (43, a geologist), Ignacio Aurelio Salazar Flores (40), and José Ángel Hernández Vélez (37).
Context: Mexican authorities suspect a cell linked to the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa cartel was behind the abduction. The mine has remained closed since the incident.
+1
While these victims were professional staff (engineers and geologists) rather than C-suite executives, this event represents the most significant recent targeted violence against personnel of a Canadian business entity in Mexico.
(b) USA
There are no recent recorded instances of Canadian business executives being abducted and killed in the United States.
Yeah Mexico is a great place for Carney’s new partnerships. Fucking Duh.
You do understand that there is a difference between trading with a country and setting up shop in said country, right? Nobody said that Mexico doesn’t have less crime than Canada. But your condescending statement don’t add anything to an intelligent discussion.
If you think that event is a full description of Mexico, Then maybe the Tumbler, BC event is a full description of Canada? Yes, there are dangerous cartels in Mexico, and I didn't hear anybody say otherwise; did you? There are also Mafia in Montreal and Triads in Vancouver.
I'm in Mexico right now, I spend 6 months a year here. People I talk to aren't happy with the cartels (Mexican people) but at a loss as to how the government should deal with them. Many think the U.S. Cartel boss, Trump, should just bomb them.
At the end of the day, cartels would be over if there weren't a nation of wealthy drug users at their doorstep.
Jim, I agree with you! If you get involved in drugs, bad money etc, you might expect to come to a bad end. I've only vacationed once in Mexico and I felt very safe there. I'm basically a small town girl in my 70's. I believe we must sidestep around the US and try other ways of trading. A lot of products do not originate in the US but do get distributed from there. That has to stop!
Honestly even before Trump I always found the demonization of Mexico to be a tad strange, even if there was a grain of truth to things like the drug problem I’d always ask “okay but how bad is it really?” And maybe there was a point in time where it was as bad as the US said but over time and after several vacations I came to the realization that we’d fallen into the trap of treating Mexico at best like a second fiddle because of that perception for so long and it never sat right with me so I’m glad we’re at least trying to address it in some form
Good one. I was going to repost but see it's going x22 times already. We need steady, objective fellows like you to help us see the connections, Fred. Much appreciated. Hope I can do as well when I hit your senior years. At 79 I'm still learning. :-)
This is how grown up nation behave.
The goal to double non-U.S. trade isn't just a talking point. Budget 2025 actually put $5 billion toward a Trade Diversification Corridors Fund over seven years to back it up. I looked at the Hansard record from February 12, and the chamber was already debating how the U.S. tariff conflict had cost 5,000 Canadian auto workers their jobs. That context makes this Mexico mission, led by Minister LeBlanc with 370 delegates, feel less like a feel-good trade trip and more like Ottawa finally putting real money behind a structural shift it had been signalling for years.
I share in the optimism of direct trade relations with Mexico. My concern, however, is, how do we guardrail and protect Canada from the mexican cartel who undoubtedly has a strong hold in the import and export funnel?
Cool - how are we handling the murders of the Canadian mining execs in this wonderful new team? Ya know, i almost think you might be a Liberal Propagandist Fred.
Reality doesn’t become political just because you’re uncomfortable with it.
Hey Gemini: when was the last time Canadian business execs were abducted and killed in (a) Mexico and (b) the USA
Gemini said
Recent events have brought these specific concerns to the forefront, particularly regarding the mining industry in Mexico. Based on the most current reports as of February 2026, here are the details:
(a) Mexico
The most recent and high-profile case occurred just weeks ago, involving employees of a Canadian mining firm.
Incident Date: January 23, 2026.
Company:Vizsla Silver Corp. (Vancouver-based).
Details: Ten employees were abducted from the company’s Panuco silver-gold project near Concordia, Sinaloa.
Outcome: On February 9, 2026, authorities and the company confirmed that the bodies of several workers had been discovered in a mass grave near the village of El Verde.
Identified Victims: The deceased included José Manuel Castañeda Hernández (43, a geologist), Ignacio Aurelio Salazar Flores (40), and José Ángel Hernández Vélez (37).
Context: Mexican authorities suspect a cell linked to the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa cartel was behind the abduction. The mine has remained closed since the incident.
+1
While these victims were professional staff (engineers and geologists) rather than C-suite executives, this event represents the most significant recent targeted violence against personnel of a Canadian business entity in Mexico.
(b) USA
There are no recent recorded instances of Canadian business executives being abducted and killed in the United States.
Yeah Mexico is a great place for Carney’s new partnerships. Fucking Duh.
You do understand that there is a difference between trading with a country and setting up shop in said country, right? Nobody said that Mexico doesn’t have less crime than Canada. But your condescending statement don’t add anything to an intelligent discussion.
If you think that event is a full description of Mexico, Then maybe the Tumbler, BC event is a full description of Canada? Yes, there are dangerous cartels in Mexico, and I didn't hear anybody say otherwise; did you? There are also Mafia in Montreal and Triads in Vancouver.
I'm in Mexico right now, I spend 6 months a year here. People I talk to aren't happy with the cartels (Mexican people) but at a loss as to how the government should deal with them. Many think the U.S. Cartel boss, Trump, should just bomb them.
At the end of the day, cartels would be over if there weren't a nation of wealthy drug users at their doorstep.
Jim, I agree with you! If you get involved in drugs, bad money etc, you might expect to come to a bad end. I've only vacationed once in Mexico and I felt very safe there. I'm basically a small town girl in my 70's. I believe we must sidestep around the US and try other ways of trading. A lot of products do not originate in the US but do get distributed from there. That has to stop!
I agree. Fruits grown in other countries are sent to the US. Why?