Mexico and Canada to Develop Joint Action Plan on Minerals, Infrastructure, and Supply Chains

Bilateral Cooperation Strengthened

Mexico and Canada are set to forge a deeper economic partnership, with both nations announcing their intention to develop a joint action plan focused on minerals, infrastructure, and supply chains. This significant step follows a meeting held on Monday, February 16, 2026, in Mexico City between Mexico's Economy Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, and Canada's Minister of Trade, Dominic LeBlanc.

The collaborative effort is designed to expand investment, increase commerce, reduce regulatory difficulties, and facilitate investment between the two North American countries. Minister Ebrard stated, 'We are preparing during the next month the action plan between Mexico and Canada in order to expand investment, increase commerce, reduce regulatory difficulties or obstacles, and facilitate investment.'

Key Objectives and Areas of Focus

The forthcoming action plan, anticipated to be presented in the second half of 2026, will serve as a roadmap for bilateral cooperation. Beyond traditional trade, the initiative aims to address several strategic areas:

• Investment and Commerce: Boosting overall trade and investment flows by streamlining processes and reducing hurdles.
• Infrastructure Development: Including joint investment in critical infrastructure projects, such as the modernization of ports.
• Supply Chain Integration: Working towards better integration and resilience of supply chains across various sectors.
• Mineral Sector Enhancement: Mexico seeks to leverage Canada's mining expertise to move beyond being solely a raw material supplier, aiming to develop its own processing capacity.
• Emerging Technologies: Collaboration is also envisioned in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, aerospace, robotics, drones, and artificial intelligence.

The ministers emphasized that this partnership comes at a 'critical time' for the North American relationship, reflecting a shared commitment to building a more resilient and diversified alliance.

Next Steps and Broader Context

As part of the ongoing discussions, a delegation from Mexico's finance ministry is scheduled to visit Canada to continue conversations, though specific dates for this visit or the plan's introduction have not yet been disclosed. This initiative underscores a broader strategy to deepen economic ties and address shared challenges, moving beyond the status quo.

The announcement builds on previous dialogues between high-level officials, including past meetings between Canada's Minister of International Trade, Mary Ng, and Mexico's Secretary of Economy, Raquel Buenrostro, where discussions often touched upon mining and energy sectors, and concerns regarding investment climate and regulatory transparency. The current focus on a comprehensive action plan signifies a concerted effort to translate these discussions into concrete, actionable strategies for mutual economic benefit.