A Globe and Mail article previewing the North American Leaders’ Summit offers Canadian readers a glimpse of a strong, reform-minded Mexico poised for growth.

“When Prime Minister Stephen Harper travels to Mexico City next week for meetings with his U.S. and Mexican counterparts, he can expect to find a country that is keen to show its neighbours it has moved beyond an era of debilitating battles with drug cartels and is turning its focus to economic growth,” the article stated.

“The meetings offer Mr. Peña Nieto a key opportunity to showcase a series of profound reforms he brought in, dealing with energy, education, finance and telecommunications,” the article continued. “Analysts say the changes, which include more opportunities for foreign investment, could help position Mexico as an increasingly competitive and powerful economic partner in North America.”

Experts on Mexico-Canada relations hailed the North American Leaders’ Summit as an opportunity to highlight the reform agenda of President Enrique Pena Nieto.

“They’re looking at the summit as a way to showcase to the world that Mexico has started to arrive,” said Carlo Dade, who directs the centre for trade and investment policy at Calgary’s Canada West Foundation. “The trend lines are clear — they’re going forward, they’re going up, they aren’t going backwards.”