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No, Mexico and Canada did not break off formal relations | Fact check

Nate Trela   Paste BN
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The claim: Mexico broke off relations with Canada

A Dec. 8 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) claims one North American nation has cut diplomatic ties with another.

“The Mexican government breaks off political relations with Canada and withdraws your permission to continue mining gold and minerals in the country,” says a narrator in the video.

The post was liked 1,000 times in about two weeks. The video was also shared elsewhere on Instagram.

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There has been no change in the formal relationship between the two countries, according to a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada.

Canada, Mexico trade barbs but diplomatic relations unchanged

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Nov. 25 that he plans to impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada once he takes office. Trump said the assessments were punishment for illegal immigration and drugs flowing across the borders, and the U.S.’s neighbors immediately criticized the proposal.

Trump's equal treatment of the two nations has caused division between them, according to the Associated Press.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, “To compare us to Mexico is the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard."

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to Canadian criticism by saying that Canada has "a very serious problem with fentanyl consumption” and that it “could only wish they had the cultural riches Mexico has.”

But the two countries have not severed diplomatic ties, Jean-Pierre Godbout, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, told Paste BN.

“In 2024, Canada and Mexico celebrated 80 years of diplomatic relations, highlighting their commitment to enhancing and expanding bilateral and North American ties,” Godbout wrote in an email. “Over the past 30 years, their partnership has been strengthened through free trade agreements.”

A common sign of worsening diplomatic ties is the closing, sometimes involuntarily, of a nation’s embassy or consulates in another country. Neither Canada nor Mexico mentions such closings on their diplomatic websites, and there are no news reports about such a development.

The claim of Canadian mining concessions being terminated in Mexico is also false, Godbout said. More than 130 Canadian mining companies operate in Mexico, according to Godbout, and the Canadian government is not aware of any change to these operations. The Mexican Geological Service makes no mention of any termination of Canadian mining rights this year, nor has Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mentioned any such punitive steps in her news conferences since Trump announced the tariffs.

Fact check: No, Mexico did not pledge to stop migrant caravans after Trump tariff threat

Paste BN reached out to the Mexico Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as social media users who made the claim for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

AFP also debunked the claim.

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