The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, responded to the proposal from the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, to expel Mexico from the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), stating that it "has no future". Sheinbaum highlighted that Canada benefits from the trade agreement with Mexico through the Temporary Agricultural Workers Program (TAWP) that allows Mexican workers to participate in the harvest in its territory.
In a morning conference, Sheinbaum dismissed Ford's accusations, who had pointed to Mexico as "the backdoor" for Chinese products and had called for its exclusion from the USMCA. The Mexican leader emphasized the importance of common data and benefits in this type of trade agreements and noted that the USMCA significantly benefits the United States, with an annual contribution of 338 million dollars from Mexicans in that country.
Sheinbaum reiterated her commitment to showing the benefits of the USMCA to Trump's transition team and highlighted that relevant issues will be addressed in the scheduled review for 2026 without renegotiating the treaty in its entirety. The Mexican president emphasized that there is no cause for concern for Mexicans regarding Ford's statements, as the benefits of the trilateral agreement are significant for all the countries involved.
The leader recalled that at the time of the signing of the USMCA, Mexico advocated for Canada's inclusion in the treaty, highlighting the importance of cooperation among the three countries. In this regard, she stressed the relevance of programs like TAWP that benefit Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Sheinbaum concluded by stating that Ford's proposal lacks viability and that the three countries complement each other within the framework of the USMCA.
