Canada ‘concerned’ trilateralism erodes ties with U.S., leaked cable says

Source: From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Canada prefers the Two Amigos to the Three Amigos when negotiating with its most important neighbour, the United States – fearing that adding NAFTA partner Mexico to talks erodes the benefits for Canadians.

It’s a concern Canadian politicians are too polite to voice publicly but one that WikiLeaks aired for all to see Wednesday in a U.S. diplomatic cable.

While Mexico is a partner of Canada and the United States in the groundbreaking North American Free Trade Agreement, the three-way relationship has weakened in recent years – a period in which Ottawa slapped entry restrictions on Mexicans, to the anger of that country’s government.

A 2009 briefing for U.S. President Barack Obama before the “Three Amigos” talks in Guadalajara, Mexico, with Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon cautioned the U.S. leader about Canadian discomfort with discussions that include Mexico, a cable released by WikiLeaks shows.



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