Canadian travel advisory used for political attacks on president, Mexican lawmaker says

A lawmaker from Mexico’s ruling political party says local news stories surrounding a modified Canadian travel advisory on Mexico were used to attack Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Global Affairs Canada updated its travel advisory to Mexico on November 13 by reducing the threat level around specific areas of the Pacific coast city of Mazatlán in the state of Sinaloa. The rest of the old parts of the notice remained unchanged.

However, local media incorrectly reported that Canada had issued a brand new Mexican travel warning for 14 of the country’s 31 states, plus Mexico City. The flurry of reporting began Monday evening and continued throughout the week.

Updates to Canadian travel advisories often trigger local news stories in target countries. Often, stories are released before seeking clarification from Canadian officials.

These stories emerged following an anti-government protest that ended in violence on Saturday, where one of the main demands came from a perception of growing insecurity in the country.

The protest also took place following the assassination earlier this month of Carlos Manzo, the anti-cartel mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán. The killing sparked violent protests across the state.

MP Maribel Solache González, of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), Mexico’s ruling party, said the “rhetoric” about insecurity used by opposition parties to attack the government was fueled by the Canadian travel advisory.

“To me, it’s about the rhetoric that formed from this theme about Michoacán that we all know was a theme about wanting to hit the first female president of North America,” Solache González said.

“I think that comment may have been enriched by what was being said in the media.”

Morena currently holds a majority in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate while controlling most state governorates.

A Morena candidate has won the last two presidential elections.

Opinions “don’t count for much”

Sheinbaum said Tuesday that his government would seek clarification from the Canadian embassy in Mexico on the advice.

The president said these types of advisories “don’t count for much” given that Mexico has seen an 11 percent increase in tourism from Canada this year.

It is unclear whether the Mexican government has requested clarification from Canada.

“Global Affairs Canada does not comment on state-to-state communications or the details of diplomatic discussions.” said Global Affairs spokesperson John Babcock in an emailed statement.

The Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.

Opposition lawmakers said the Canadian travel advisory reflects the country’s reality.

Rep. Mario Zamora Gastélum, who represents the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in a Sinaloa district, said successive Morena administrations have done little to improve security in his state.

“We have been at war for more than a year, yes, you can call it that,” Zamora Gastélum said.

“This is the reality we live in…I think it requires the Mexican government to pay attention to Sinaloa.”

Zamora Gastélum said thousands of people have been murdered and disappeared over the past year in the western state. A recent survey found that 90 percent of residents in Culiacán, which has about a million residents, live in fear, he said.

“This is not a way to live,” Zamora Gastélum said.

The Canadian travel advisory advises against non-essential travel to Sinaloa outside of the town of Los Mochis and specific areas of Mazatlán, which it now suggests Canadians should “eexercise extreme caution” during your visit.

Congresswoman Paulina Rubio Fernández, who represents a district in Jalisco state for the National Action Party (PAN), said the Mexican government had failed to ensure the safety and security of the country.

“We live in a country where states are seeing a growth in themes of violence and, unfortunately, the federal government has not been focused enough on containing and eradicating it,” she said.

“This reflects the situation we live in and the failure of the federal government’s security strategy.”

The Canadian travel advisory contains a long-standing warning against travel within a 50-kilometer zone around Jalisco’s border with Michoacán.

Francisco Aguilar Ordóñez, president of the hoteliers and restaurateurs association in the resort town of Acapulco, in Guerrero state, said Canada should withdraw its travel advisory altogether.

“To leave [Canadian citizens] come here. We love them, we support them, we take care of them here and, in the end, nothing happens here,” he said.