Mexico City, Mexico – 18 February 2014
Canada is committed to collaborating with like-minded partners to promote North American security.
To this end, on February 18, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada and Mexico will sign a Declaration of Intent on Defence Cooperation in April 2014, to further strengthen bilateral defence relations. The announcement was made during the Prime Minister's bilateral visit to Mexico from February 17-18, 2014.
The Declaration, which demonstrates a continued commitment by both countries to work together on security issues facing North America, will outline the manner in which enhanced bilateral cooperation will take place in areas such as military training, and defence research and materiel.
The implementing authorities are the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Canada's Department of National Defence (DND), Mexico's Secretariat of National Defence, and the Mexican Navy. The Declaration will be signed on the margins of the Canada, Mexico and United States Trilateral Meeting of Defence Ministers, set to take place in Mexico City in April 2014.
Defence relations between Canada and Mexico have experienced steady growth in recent years focusing on various exchanges, including joint military exercises, military training cooperation, high level visits, and regular staff talks.
The following are some examples of this cooperation:
Canada-Mexico Political-Military Talks – Established in 2006, these regular engagements between Foreign and Defence Ministries in Canada and Mexico provide the basis for developing defence and foreign policy cooperation on hemispheric and international security issues. The seventh round of talks was held in December 2013 in Mexico, and included productive discussions on regional security, military training, and military justice.
Canada-Mexico Military Staff Talks – Building on the success of the Political-Military Talks, Canada and Mexico established Canada-Mexico Military Staff Talks in May 2011 as an effective and enduring way to maintain a strong relationship between the armed forces of both countries. The third iteration of these staff talks was held in Canada in May 2013.
North American Maritime Security Initiative (NAMSI) – This trilateral initiative was established for the United States, Mexico and Canada to share information and improve maritime interoperability, domain awareness and joint response to maritime threats.
Trilateral Meeting of North American Defence Ministers – These meetings aim to formalize and strengthen the necessary defence cooperation between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The inaugural trilateral defence meeting was hosted by Canada in March 2012. Mexico is hosting the second meeting, expected to take place on April 24, 2014.
Directorate of Military Training and Cooperation – Mexico has been a member of Canada's Military Training and Cooperation Programme (MTCP) since 2004. To date, 168 Mexican students have received MTCP-sponsored training. The Directorate of Military Training and Cooperation, which administers MTCP, and Canadian Joint Operations Command are examining innovative ways to expand baseline cooperation with Mexico.
In addition to the initiatives listed above, the DND and the CAF as well as Mexico are exploring opportunities to share experiences in other areas of shared interest, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster response, search and rescue, care of the wounded, coastal surveillance and security in Central America.
In June 2012, two officials from SEMAR participated in the Maple Flag 45 (Serial 1) International Observers Program in Cold Lake, Alberta. SEMAR also participated in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise off the coast of Hawaii in August 2012. This was the first time a Mexican Navy ship participated in an exercise in Canada.
