Mexican president-elect Felipe Calderon and Prime Minister Stephen Harper speak during a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday.
 Utah National Guard soldiers build a border fence in San Luis, Ariz. (AP / Khampha Bouaphanh |
View larger imageMexico urges Canada to help oppose border fence
Updated Thu. Oct. 26 2006 1:19 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A Mexican official is urging Canada to help oppose a proposed fence along the U.S.-Mexico border out of fears it will hurt free trade.
Arturo Sarukhan, foreign affairs adviser to Mexican president-elect Felipe Calderon, made the remarks in an interview with The Canadian Press on Wednesday.
Calderon arrived in Ottawa for a two-day visit and spoke at a news conference with Prime Minister Stephen Harper early Thursday afternoon.
Calderon called the U.S. decision "deplorable," expensive and counter-productive to trade and security. He suggested it will lead to the deaths of more Mexicans.
Harper spoke out against "unnecessary barriers between our countries," saying they act as barriers to trade and tourism.
Harper said the two leaders talked about ways to strengthen the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Mexico is concerned that a planned massive, 1,100-kilometre security fence intended to keep out illegal Mexican migrants, would have a negative impact on cross-border business and tourism.
U.S. President George Bush signed the Secure Fence Act of 2006 on Thursday afternoon, giving the official stamp of approval to the fencing plan -- which critics say won't stop illegal immigration.
"I certainly hope that especially Canada and Mexico will press on our American friends that these types of barriers will not stop undocumented flow of migrants,'' Sarukhan said.
"The only effect that it will have is to cause more suffering. It will allow those that smuggle people across the borders to be able to ask for hefty fees from those people they cross over.''
Bush said the fencing plan is part of his government's efforts to beef up border security.
