Video still: Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum confirms that Canadian prime minister Mark Carney will visit Mexico on September 18.
Canada has billions of dollars of mining, gas pipeline and rail assets in Mexico. These investments already have implications for communities, human rights defenders and journalists. As the Canadian government seeks to deepen economic relations with Mexico, attention also needs to be paid to the human rights implications of this agenda. To date, this has not been part of the official narrative.
CTV News reports: “Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday [September 12] she will host Prime Minister Mark Carney for trade talks next week [on Thursday September 18] as the pair seek to protect their economies from Donald Trump’s trade war.”
That article notes that beyond Trump’s tariffs, the North American free trade agreement, and Canada-Mexico trade: “the pair will also discuss Canadian investment in sectors such as Mexican mining, gas and rail…”
Mining
According to Natural Resources Canada, there were 120 Canadian mining companies operating in Mexico in 2023 with Canadian mining assets there totalling $11.3 billion (up from CAD $10.6 billion in 2022).
Gas and energy
In Canadian Energy Assets, 2018, Natural Resources Canada also noted: “The top five countries by CEAA [Canadian Energy Assets Abroad] value are the United States ($190 billion), Colombia ($8 billion), Germany ($6 billion), Mexico ($6 billion) and France ($4 billion).”
That report further notes: “In Mexico (+$1 billion, 20%), the growth can be attributed mainly to TC Energy (+$940 million, 19%), which invested in pipeline projects in the country.”
TC Energy pipelines in Mexico include the Encino-Topolobampo pipeline on Raramuri territory, the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline on Otomi, Nahua and Tepehua territories in Puebla and Hidalgo, and the Southeast Gateway (Puerta al Sureste) pipeline from Tuxpan to Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz and the refinery in Dos Bocas, Paraiso, Tabasco interconnected with the Trans-Isthmus industrial corridor.
Rail
The Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern (CPKC) is the primary Canadian rail company operating in Mexico.
In May 2025, The Globe and Mail reported: “[In 2023] CPKC became the only rail network to seamlessly connect Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. It was a US$27-billion bet that CPKC would reap decades of profits from an increasingly integrated North American market… CPKC has recently begun hauling between the two markets [Canada and Mexico], including aluminum, refined fuels, French fries, furniture and fruit.”
That article further notes: “CPKC has begun carrying liquid petroleum gas (such as propane), refined fuels and plastics from the Edmonton area to Mexico. …[There are also] trainloads full of fruits and vegetables, home appliances and furniture regularly departing Mexico for Canada… In a recent investor presentation, [CPKC chief executive officer Keith Creel] said CPKC had begun moving Mexican produce into Canada for Loblaw Cos. Ltd.”
Business and human rights
Canadian mining, gas and rail projects have been implicated in human rights concerns in Mexico.
Significantly, Mexico is among the countries with the highest number of attacks against human rights defenders and journalists.
More than 203 land and environmental defenders have been killed in Mexico between 2012 (the year the Mechanism was enacted) and 2023, while eight journalists were killed while registered with the Mechanism over the last seven years.
Human rights defenders to visit Ottawa
Next week, two human rights defenders from Mexico will be in Ottawa to meet with Government of Canada officials, Members of Parliament, and social movement and civil society allies, to raise awareness of the situation of human rights defenders and journalists in Mexico and find ways to support them.
Both Hugo and Elizabeth are members of the Civil Society Space of Organizations for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists (Espacio OSC).
Stay tuned for updates about their visit.
Further reading: PBI accompanied Espacio OSC activists to visit Ottawa to seek support to help strengthen Mexico’s Protection mechanism for human rights defenders and journalists (September 1, 2025)
