North America just got its first-ever elected woman head of state (apologies to former Canadian prime minister Kim Campbell, who was neither elected nor head of state).
What happened: Claudia Sheinbaum was inaugurated yesterday as Mexico’s first female president. A scientist who once worked as part of a Nobel-prize-winning climate panel and previously served as Mexico City’s mayor, Sheinbaum won June’s presidential election in a landslide.
Why it matters: Sheinbaum has promised to keep continuity with the policies of her predecessor and mentor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, many of which have created a rift with Canada, especially in the areas of agriculture, mining, and energy.
- Canada’s government and Canadian businesses have objected to moves to nationalize Mexico’s electricity grid, intensify mining restrictions, and ban GMO corn.
- Canada has a strong presence in Mexico’s power and mining sectors. And while it doesn’t export corn there, it does export other GMO crops that could be under threat.
- Most recently, Canadian officials objected to Mexico’s proposed change towards electing judges by popular vote. In response, Mexico paused diplomatic relations with the Canadian embassy.
Big picture: Mexico is Canada’s third-largest merchandise trade partner, with ~$55 billion in bilateral trade last year. Keeping relations strong while fighting for market access is a tightrope the feds must walk as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement comes up for review in 2026.—QH