As Mexico prepares to host the North American Leaders’ Summit in Toluca, the summit will also mark the occasion of 70 years of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Canada.

In a recent oped in the Globe and Mail, Mexican Foreign Minister José Antonio Meade noted that “Our goal for this 70th anniversary of Mexico-Canada relations is to transform our bilateral relationship into a true strategic partnership. This will directly benefit the daily lives of our peoples.”

Meade also noted the strong economic and cultural ties binding Mexico and Canada. “We are each other’s third-largest trading partner. Total commercial exchanges exceed $35-billion a year, and approximately 3,000 Canadian companies do business in Mexico. We are the second-largest tourist destination for Canadians, with 1.6 million visiting last year, a number that continues to trend upwards. These links among our civil societies drive our relationship forward.”