HAMILTON, Canada

Canada's Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand are in Mexico this week to strengthen trade ties as Ottawa seeks to diversify economic partnerships amid growing tensions with the US, according to a report Tuesday.

CBC News, citing senior Canadian government sources, said the two-day visit includes a meeting Tuesday with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as part of an effort to deepen the relationship with Mexico.

"The meetings will be constructive…looking at markets, looking at diversification, looking at strengthening our partnership with our Mexican colleagues," Champagne told Radio-Canada on Monday.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Sheinbaum last met in June at the G7 Summit in Alberta, where they agreed to "deepen bilateral collaboration at the ministerial level."

Champagne is also meeting with Canadian stakeholders in Mexico's aerospace, energy and banking sectors.

Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico's former ambassador to the US, told CBC that it is time for greater alignment between Ottawa and Mexico City.

"There's really been very little engagement…vis-a-vis a common trade partner that is eviscerating all the rules of trade," he said.

Following the meeting with Sheinbaum, Anand on her X account praised the bilateral ties between Canada and Mexico and noted that they "are united by decades of diplomatic, economic and security cooperation."

Describing their meeting with the Mexican leader as "productive," Anand stated that they reaffirmed "the strength of our bilateral relationship."

"I also met with Foreign Secretary (Juan Ramon) de la Fuente," she said, adding that "these discussions with the President and members of her government advanced key shared priorities in terms of economic growth, security and trade diversification."

The visit also underscores Canada's push to strengthen the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement as a unified bloc.