As Trump threatens tariffs, Sheinbaum and Canada PM Mark Carney strategize to strengthen collaboration

President Claudia Sheinbaum said she and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have agreed to strengthen trade collaboration, particularly in light of the tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump set to go into effect on Aug. 1.

“We agreed that the U.S.-Canada-Mexico trade agreement (USMCA) must be respected,” Sheinbaum said in her Wednesday morning press conference, adding that she and Carney spoke on Tuesday about negotiating strategies with the Trump administration ahead of the tariff deadline.

Sheinbaum also said Carney had accepted an invitation to visit Mexico, but a date had yet to be set.

The Canadian government also issued a statement confirming Carney’s chat with Sheinbaum, saying the leaders “agreed to remain in close contact and continue working closely together.”

“The Prime Minister and the President discussed how to strengthen the Canadian and Mexican economies and enhance their global competitiveness, building on [last month’s] productive meeting at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis,” the statement read.

In a social media post, Sheinbaum mentioned that Carney also expressed his gratitude for the more than 200 Mexican firefighters who travelled to the province of Manitoba “to assist Canadians at this critical time.” Canada is presently fighting more than 400 wildfires, nearly 300 of which are burning in Manitoba.

Fue un gusto conversar nuevamente, primer ministro. Vamos a fortalecer aún más la amistad entre nuestros países, incluyendo la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026. Le agradezco su reconocimiento a la valiente y generosa labor de más de 200 combatientes mexicanos de incendios, quienes… https://t.co/DTObuai7R8

— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) July 17, 2025

The two leaders also shared their impressions of the letter each received from Trump in which he announced the new tariffs, a 30% tariff on Mexican imports and a 35% tariff on Canadian goods.

According to El Financiero newspaper, Carney said Canada will focus on ensuring a strong domestic economy as negotiations with the United States intensify. For her part, Sheinbaum said she is confident a trade deal can be reached with the U.S. before the tariffs take effect.

Mexico and Canada avoided most of the reciprocal tariffs Trump imposed in April as imports in compliance with the USMCA were declared exempt for the tariffs.

Also Thursday, Sheinbaum said she met recently with business leaders, including billionaire Carlos Slim, whose family controls firms telecoms giant América Móvil and conglomerate Grupo Carso, along with representatives from breadmaker Bimbo and steelmakers, regarding the August tariffs.

“One of the things I asked them was, ‘Why don’t we lay out, in black and white, the investments you have planned in the United States?’ so they can take part in these negotiations,” she said.

Sheinbaum said there is good communication and coordination with the private sector and with counterparts in Canada and the United States, adding that more details on new investments will be announced in the coming days.

With reports from El Economista, El Universal, Reuters, Milenio and La Jornada