Canada's Burgeoning Pol-Mil Relationship with Mexico

1. (SBU) Summary. The defense and security relationship
between Canada and Mexico is evolving and both countries are open
to exploring new areas for further cooperation. Humanitarian
assistance, disaster response, counternarcotics, and
nonproliferation were among the areas for detailed discussion in
the fourth round of annual pol-mil talks in Ottawa in early
December. End summary.





2. (SBU) Canadian diplomats and defense officials held a fourth
round of political-military talks with Mexican counterparts on
December 3. Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(DFAIT) officials invited polmiloff to a debrief on December 14 by
Donald Sinclair, Director General of the International Security
Bureau at DFAIT. Department of National Defence (DND) officers
joined by teleconference.





3. (C/NF) DG Sinclair characterized the Mexican participation in
this latest round of annual pol-mil talks as "open and eager to
engage" in an evolving relationship. According to Sinclair and
DND officers, the relationship has developed "considerably" since
this process began in 2006. The 18-person Mexican delegation
included senior military officers and the Assistant Director
General of National Security in the Office of the President. On
the Canadian side, the process took on a greater prominence in
light of recommendations for broader cooperative engagement in the
hemisphere made by the U.S.- Canadian Permanent Joint Board on
Defense (PJBD) in November.





4. (C/NF) The opening session addressed the scope of the
problems facing Mexico and the nature of hemispheric security
threats. The group examined regional challenges, while the
Mexicans sought details on specific Canadian practices related to
countries in the region. Potential areas for trilateral defense
cooperation came under consideration, as well as prospects for
greater bilateral Canadian-Mexican mil-to-mil cooperation. The
Canadians and Mexicans discussed initiatives at the UN Security
Council in an effort to identify areas for cooperation in a "North
America team" approach. If Canada is successful in its bid for
election to a UNSC seat in 2011, the Canadians would be in a
position to carry on with support for non-proliferation
initiatives as the Mexicans depart the UNSC, participants agreed.






5. (C/NF) DG Sinclair characterized the process as already
"yielding results." The Mexican delegation offered frank
acknowledgement of the country's internal problems, but also sought
broader cooperation in external areas of concern. They posed
questions about how Canada protects human rights while conducting
counternarcotics operations. The two sides identified as subjects
for further exploration, including the potential for a cooperative
approach to Haiti as well as possibilities for cooperation in
Maritime Domain Awareness, humanitarian assistance, disaster
response, and the work of the Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF)
focused on South America. DFAIT officers suggested JIATF South as
a potential venue through which to consider joint training and
broader joint, interagency cooperation. They considered the
expansion of the U.S. Canadian Maritime Defense Plan, especially in
view of the similarities between the Mexican and Canadian Naval
Services. In what appeared to the Canadians as a departure from
previous reluctance, Mexico expressed an interest in participating
in Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) exercises scheduled for
the east coast in 2012. Defense officials discussed the issue of
interoperability of Mexican and Canadian forces, concluding that
more work was needed in order to establish a baseline of current
interoperability.





6. (C/NF) The two delegations cited the possibilities for greater
information sharing between Canada and Mexico, as well as work with
the U.S. on a trilateral threat assessment for the region. The
Canadians suggested that the binational North American Aerospace
Command (NORAD) could explore the possibilities of designating
information relevant to security in the hemisphere to be shared

with Mexico. Canada's Chief of Defence Intelligence already shares
selected information with Mexico, and the exchange could be readily
expanded.





7. (C/NF) DG Sinclair noted to polmiloff that, In the context of
identifying deliverables for the 2010 North American Leadership
Summit, Canada seeks close consultation with the U.S. on the best
ways to advance our respective defense and security relations with
Mexico. The Canadians may propose that the next Canada-Mexico
pol-mil talks address military doctrine and security/defense
aspects of the legal system, such as military law enforcement and
the role of the Judge Advocate General. The Canadians encouraged
Mexico to host the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas
(CDMA) in 2012, but it is more likely that the meeting will take
place in Mexico in 2014. The Canadian National Security Adviser
will visit Mexico in January to continue strategic discussions
between these two North American partners. DG Sinclair said that
Canada intends to come up with major new allocations (perhaps up to
C$50 million a year) for a "security envelope" to contribute to
capacity building and training of Mexican police and
counternarcotics officials. According to Canadian interlocutors,
the Mexicans have not entered into these strategic discussions with
any specific list of "asks," however. The Canadians characterize
the Mexican approach as being more about capacity building than a
dollar figure for assistance, saying Mexico "wants skills, not
money."





8. (C/NF) Comment: The Canadians are clearly keen to expand
their bilateral engagement with Mexico, but in close consultation
with the U.S. Both Canada and Mexico are showing greater
willingness to explore new areas for security dialogue, apparently
in response to shifting perceptions of regional security threats.
The long-standing Canadian lack of enthusiasm for greater
trilateral cooperation appears to be softening, although the
Canadians will draw a clear line at any arrangement that might
dilute their special relations with the U.S.
BREESE