Canadian Issues

From Nutka to Nunavut Why Canada Is Important to Mexico

Julián Castro Rea *

hat immediately comes to lished a post there and began to exchange mind when the reader sees European goods for otter skins with the the title of this article will indigenous peoples of the region. W Canada is the probably be formal diplomatic relations However, other actors would soon come “indispensable alternative” between Mexico and Canada, government on the scene. In 1778, English ex plorer to government, managed from Mexico and, indeed, James Cook crossed the Pacific and landed City and Ottawa. Naturally, these are im - the most immediate on what is now Vancouver Island, claim - portant because they are the institutio nal one for the diversification ing it as an English possession. He was and most visible side of the exchanges be - of Mexico’s foreign also motivated by the trade in otter pelts tween both our countries. relations, both on that the English traders sold in Asia for But, in this article, I would like to a governmental big money. Aware of the need to make deal with some less well known aspects, and a societal level. the Spanish presence in the region more specifically underlining that 1) the rela - categorically felt, the Crown sent a mili - tionship between Mexico and Canada is tary detachment under the command of older and more complex than it seems Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra. and 2) making relations closer could be In 1788, the conflict sharpened. Great enormously beneficial for Mexico. their much sought-after channel. What Britain declared war on Spain over the Formal diplomatic relations were they christened the “Fuca Channel” was possession of Nutka Island. The war never established in 1944, only 55 years ago. actually the body of water south of Van - broke out, thanks to a diplomatic agree - But the first contacts between what is couver Island on today’s western U.S.-Ca - ment between Madrid and London finally now Mexico and what is now Canada nadian border. It was then decided that arrived at in 1791 and according to which date back more than 400 years. the northwestern Pacific Ocean limit of both powers would share not only Nutka In the 1570s, explorers Juan de Fuca New Spain was that enormous island. but also the large adjacent island. London and Bartolomé Fonte left the port of San Nevertheless, although Spain theo - sent George Vancouver to execute the peace Blas, Nayarit, heading north in search of retically established sovereignty over this treaty. By common consent with the com - a passage to link the Pacific and Atlantic vast territory, it did not do much to truly mander of the Spanish garrison, they chris - Oceans. Venturing north of Cali fornia integrate it into the rest of New Spain. tened the island “Van couver and Quadra they arrived at what they thought was Two hundred years later, in 1774, a new Island,” which re mained its official name expedition explored Vancouver Island and until Mexican independence rendered christened a small island adjacent to it, Spain incapable of exercising its sover - * Researcher and coordinator of the CISAN Canadian studies area. San Lorenzo de Nutka. The Spanish esta b - eignty in the area.

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Today, the capital of the Canadian Mexico published the complete report, Interparlamentary Meetings). These meet - province of British Columbia, Victoria, is including drawings and etchings done by ings, however, were sporadic and their located on Vancouver Island. There, across Mociño and his assistants of maps, places final agreements not very important for from the provincial House of Parliament, and people. 1 either country’s international agenda. a small historical monument has been So, relations between Mexico and It was only with the North American placed: a bust of Juan Fran cisco de la Bo - Canada go much further back than the Free Trade Agreement ( NAFTA ) that this dega y Quadra. Also, the channel south of establishment of formal diplomatic rela - began to change. Suddenly, both coun - the island continues to be called Juan de tions. Actually, contact has been con - tries discovered that their priorities over - Fuca Strait. stant for the simple but fundamental rea - lapped on common issues: access to the Two years after the diplomatic agree - son that Mexicans and Canadians share U.S. market and an interest in attracting ment, in 1793, Spain sent a scientific the same North American continent. The more U.S. investment. It was through expedition to the region, mainly to make actual distance between Mexico and this common interest that Mexico and Canada “rediscovered” each other and made sure the trade agreement benefit - If contacts are not often noticed, it is due to something ed both of them. just as important for Mexico as for Canada: This idea, however, was not new. There the presence of our common neighbor, is an interesting precedent that could be the most important economic and military considered the “grandfather” of trade rela - power in the world. tions between Canada and Mexico. In 1854, Canada established a treaty for mutual trade with the United States granting both parties trade preferences. an inventory of its natural resources. The Canada is smaller than that between The accord was beneficial for both coun - 13-year-long expedition ventured even fur - Mexico and Europe. It is also more easily tries because Canada provided mainly ther north along the Pacific Coast, all the traveled because it can be done by land. raw materials and the United States, way to Alaska. The expedition’s only sur - If these contacts are not often noticed, it manufactured products. However, the vivor was Mexican José Mariano Mociño y is due to something just as important for U.S. Civil War changed things. The U.S. Losada, born in Temascaltepec in what is Mexico as for Canada: the presence of economy, distorted by the war, concen - now the State of Mexico. On his return, our common neighbor, the most impor - trated on the production of arms and was he wrote a detailed account of the region’s tant economic and military power in the forced to import basic supplies and con - natural resources —flora, fauna and min - world. sumption items. This benefited Canada erals— as well as of its inhabitants. That I would like to illustrate this idea with more than U.S. interests thought pru - is, long before Canadians interested them - an example. As I have indicated, the two dent. True to the behavior that it contin - selves in studying Mexico, a Mexican was countries have had diplomatic relations ues to display today of being for free studying Canada. since 1944. But the first 45 years of those trade when it has the advantage and pro - Mociño went to Spain to write his re- relations were basically what I call “friend - tectionist when it has deficits, the U.S. port, which he called “News from Nutka.” ly indifference”: a cordial, but not very government unilaterally canceled the Given the political turmoil unleashed by substantial, relationship. In 1971, formal treaty for trade reciprocity. the invasion of Napoleon’s armies, Mo - mechanisms for consultation between As is only natural, this affected Ca - ciño’s manuscript was never published, executive branches were established and nadian interests, which at the same time and it languished for two centuries in the in 1975, for consultation between leg - were dealing with the abolition of Great royal archives in Madrid. But, last year, islative branches (the so-called Mexico- Britain’s Corn Laws, which established the National Autonomous University of Canada Ministerial Commissions and the mother country’s trade preferences

78 Canadian Issues

for her colonies. The Canadians then con - the express recognition of a potential Cuba, for the same reasons: a desire to ceived an alternative trade strategy: a p - that has yet to be completely realized. mark their differences with U.S. policy. proaching the Latin American markets, As I have written elsewhere, Canada is Initially it was just a coincidence: particularly that of Mexico, to establish a the “indispensable alternative” and, each party acted on its own, but arrived confederated trade council. With the sup - indeed, the most immediate one for the at the same result. A convergence of port of London, in January 1866 a Ca na - diversification of Mexico’s foreign rela - policies, truly concerted action, is very dian trade mission left for Latin Amer ica. tions, both on a governmental and a soci - incipient. I will mention two very impor - Although it had initially included Mexico etal level. tant instances: the common opposition on the itinerary, it did not actually travel The main, recurring obstacle to this to the Helms-Burton Act and a joint there because its members thought —quite deepening of the relationship occurs effort to establish a free trade zone in - rightly so— that any agreement made when it is mediated by another country, cluding all countries in the Americas. with Maxi milian’s imperial government, first Great Britain and later the United Ottawa and our Foreign Affairs Ministry at that time in outright decline, had no pos - sibility of being applied. In the end, the initiative’s promoters realized how dif ficult With the U.S. executive’s hands tied by it was to come to preferential agree ments the House of Representatives, where protectionist with Latin America be cause Ca nada’s small proclivities are most clearly expressed, Mexico and Canada market made reci procal trade with these have become the champions of free trade countries unviable. in the Americas. Nevertheless, the Canadians did not cease their attempts to foster trade with Mexico. A. W. Donly, the first Canadian commissioner of trade visited Mexico in States. Even today, many Mexican prod - are quite right in opposing the extrater - 1905. Between 1920 and 1940, and then ucts are exported to Canada via the ritorial application of a U.S. law that, in at the end of the 1960s, efforts were United States and vice versa. This dis - addition to its political implications, made to increase trade between Mexico torts Mexican-Canadian trade figures, would attempt to stop the profitable and Canada. These efforts were formal - particularly with regard to Mexican business dealings with Cuba that they ized in agreements in 1931 and 1970. In exports. are able to carry out because they did 1931, Mexico’s Minister of Com muni - This situation also exists around polit - not break diplomatic relations. With cations and Public Works, Juan A. Alma - ical issues. It is time we became aware of the U.S. executive’s hands tied by the zán, made an official visit to Canada. On Mexico’s and Canada’s common inter - House of Re presentatives, where protec - his return, he wrote a letter to President ests and explored the enormous potential tionist procli vities are most clearly Emilio Portes Gil saying, for cooperation between the two in order expressed, Mexico and Canada have be- to take maximum advantage of it. The come the champions of free trade in the There are probably no two countries in the following are some of the fields in which Americas. world so susceptible to complementing that cooperation could be particularly b) Education, particularly higher edu - each other as admirably as Canada and fruitful: cation. Canada has a first-rate, world- Mexico...[being located as they are] on the a) Foreign policy. The way in which class university system that is an inter - same continent with the facility of commu - Mexican and Canadian international esting alternative for Mexican students nicating by both oceans. 2 activities coincide (literally) is amazing. who want to study abroad. In addition to The two countries have always voted its excellent academic level, students can This statement, that almost 70 years quite similarly in the United Nations. study in English or in French, or, de- later sounds prophetic, is no more than For example, neither broke relations with pending on the location, in both; tuition

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is much lower than in the United States tion for solving current problems in Mex - ever, they are assured of a ma jority in the and is controlled by provincial govern - ico is Nunavut. Last April 1, Ca n ada’s ter - legislature, where the govern ment is elect - ments. On the other hand, Ca nada is a safe ritory went through an important trans - ed. In addition, they introduced some in- and pleasant place to live. This is espe - formation. Nunavut, a new territory, was novations in their own organization that cially important for Mexicans be cause created in the extreme northwest part of reflect Inuit ancestral customs: Canadian do not have the same preju - the country. Nunavut means “our land” dices against us as Americans do, which in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit * Members of parliament will not spark unpleasant experiences there. (in correctly known as Eskimos). belong to political parties, but will come c) Academic exchanges. These are im - Nunavut is the result of a long ne go - out of the communities and govern by portant because they favor better mutu - tia tion process that began in the 1970s consensus; al understanding between our two coun - be tween the Canadian Arctic indige nous * The government will be highly de cen - tries. I sincerely believe that Mex icans tralized; in addition to the capital, Iqaluit, can learn many important things from nine regional centers will manage the pub - Canadians, particularly with regard to lic administration, dividing ministry head - the advancement of democracy and de - It is time quarters among them. v elopment. Canada has not only devel - we became * The official language is Inuktitut. oped its formal democratic institutions, aware of Mexico’s but it is also an example of civility and In addition, it is to be expected that and Canada’s common tolerance. In addition, Canadian capital - the first legislature will approve laws that interests and explored ism is different in that it combines the reflect traditional Inuit forms of govern - the enormous potential economic system with solidarity, with a ment even further. state commitment to its people’s well for cooperation Concretely, the lesson of Nunavut for being. His to rically, we Mexicans have between Mexico is that federalism is the solution been obsessed with following the politi - the two countries. for reconciling unity and diversity. The cal and economic example of the United recognition of self-government for groups States. This obsession is very powerful who differ from the majority national cul - today despite the signs of decomposition ture does not mean the destruction of the in U.S. society and politics and the state, but its enrichment as a qualitative - structural inequalities of its economy. I peoples and the federal government. Led ly superior democracy. think it is time to look closer at the Ca - by an organization legitimized by con - Now that Mexico is preparing to begin nadian example. sensus, the Inuit Tapirisat of Ca nada, a new millennium, it can find inspiration For this reason it is important to pro - the I nuit were able to overcome federal in the Canadian example to solve some of mote Canadian studies in Mexico. Se ve r - resis tance and fears of their self-govern - its most pressing problems. al universities in our country have created ment. They accepted in exchange not centers for Canadian studies, included request ing exceptional status or a differ - courses on Canada in their curricula or ent kind of government to those that established graduate programs to train already existed in Canada (federal, pro - NOTES specialists in Canada. Special mention vincial and muni cipal) and being a terri - should be made here of the Masters pro - tory under federal j urisdiction, whose 1 José Mariano Mociño y Losada, Noticias de Nutka (Mexico City: UNAM , 1998). gram in U.S. and Canadian studies at the government would be elected according Autonomous University of Sinaloa. to the rules that apply in the rest of Ca - 2 C.M.Ogelsby, Gringos from the Far North. Essays in A concrete, very timely, example of nada. Since they represent 85 percent of the History of Canadian-Latin American Relations, 1866-1968 (Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1976), how Canada can be a source of inspira - the territory’s 22,000 inha bitants, how - p. 75.

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