Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, concluded a productive day of meetings today with Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Secretary Velasco began his visit in Ottawa with a one-on-one meeting with Minister Anand, followed by a meeting with other government representatives from Canada and Mexico to address shared bilateral priorities under the Canada-Mexico Action Plan (CMAP).

The Minister and the Secretary discussed progress both countries have made under the CMAP, including strengthening coordination on North American economic, trade, security and foreign policy issues, which is essential to the continued delivery of concrete benefits for Canadians and Mexicans.

Minister Anand and Secretary Velasco participated in a joint press conference, where they highlighted significant progress made under the CMAP. The Minister also announced $12.1 million in funding for projects in Mexico and other Latin American countries, which will help advance CMAP priorities

As part of the $12.1 million, she announced Canada’s contribution to the UN Population Fund’s Human Identification Programme—which seeks to support identification efforts in Mexico through technical and scientific innovations—and a $5-million project, TURQUESA II, delivered through the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and INTERPOL. TURQUESA II is aimed at strengthening cooperation among local authorities in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Honduras to combat transnational criminal networks involved in human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

As well, she announced that Canada will work with Mexico to access Canadian satellite technology to detect vessels engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and associated harms. The Dark Vessel Detection program at Fisheries and Oceans Canada includes a $7 million Global Affairs contribution to protect ocean biodiversity and sustainable fisheries livelihoods in coastal communities.