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Trade with Mexico: hope or hype?
There’s a world of complexity in this handful of July-dug potatoes -- science, finance, culture and politics – as Canada seeks more trade with Mexico. Photo by Glenn Lowson.
KAREN DAVIDSON Guadalajara, Mexico’s third-largest city, is the capital of Jalisco, a state famous for tourists and tequila. Agriculture is a big part of the local economy, known for avocadoes, berries and tomatoes. Unexpectedly, it has also become a destination of choice for eager Canadian ministers looking to diversify markets for potatoes and other commodities. After Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting in Mexico with President Claudia Sheinbaum in September 2025, the leaders stood at the podium and heralded a “new era of elevated cooperation.” Hot on Carney’s heels, federal agriculture minister Heath MacDonald travelled to Mexico City then on to Guadalajara accompanied by an impressive entourage including four provincial agriculture ministers. Ramping up the government’s push, Dominic LeBlanc,
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Canada’s minister for Canada-U.S. trade and intergovernmental affairs, will lead a trade mission from February 15-20, 2026 with Guadalajara again on the itinerary. While the list of participants joining him has yet to be announced – interested parties including small businesses had until November 28 to apply– it’s very likely representatives from the Canadian potato industry will be on board. “We’ve been talking about the risks of tariffs on our fresh potato sector since January 20,” says Pamela Kolochuk, CEO, Peak of the Market, Winnipeg, Manitoba, referring to the 2025 inauguration day for U.S. President Trump. “Forty per cent of our fresh potatoes go to the U.S. and when tariffs were in place for three days in March, our members paid $220,000 in tariffs so that we didn’t strand our customers.” The gnawing worry is about the threat of future tariffs and how to mitigate that risk. “The current trade situation continues to threaten our
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existence,” says Kolochuk. This new trade reality has spurred the Canadian Potato Council (CPC) to explore how to harmonize phytosanitary measures with Mexico which is placing a huge emphasis on testing and “clean” trade. “Mexico is a doable market for Canada,” says Bill Zylmans, CPC chair and a potato grower from Delta, British Columbia. “We need to build a stronger working relationship so that we could potentially sell fresh potatoes from most provinces and seed potatoes from western Canada.” Emphasizing a pan-Canadian approach, Zylmans and his board are working closely with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) which has been tasked to negotiate with its Mexican counterpart, Senasica. Any potential trade agreement will realistically take two to three years to hammer out, full stop. Continued on page 3
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