"For the 22 years that the North American free-trade agreement has been in place, Mexico has never fully been viewed as a partner with equal standing.."

Golly. And in those 22 years, exactly what benefits has Canada seen, from Mexico, as part of NAFTA?

Have Mexican manufacturers set up shop in Canada and employed Canadians? Has Mexico campaigned to assist Canadian resources to gain access to the US? 

Hardly. In fact, the exact opposite has occurred. Recently, in response to a post from a Mexican bigwig guest columnist, I cited the example of Hammond Manufacturing, a multi-generation southern Ontario electrical equipment manufacturer, which has shifted all labor intensive production to Mexico, and now plans to invest in automation in Mexico, not Canada.

Add in the impending loss of branch plant Big Auto operations, and the question remains: what exactly do we need Mexico for?

Successful partnerships are based on mutual benefits. Please let us know when you find one for us.