Prime Minister Carney’s Visit to Mexico Shines a Light on Lakehead

OVERVIEW:

• Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum recently launched the inaugural Canada-Mexico Action Plan 2025-2028
• The plan singles out the importance of a Lakehead University initiative—the Canada–Mexico Roundtable on Indigenous and Intercultural Higher Education
• Lakehead University is playing a key role in promoting mobility, inclusivity, and well-being between our two countries

University Initiative is Highlighted in New International Agreement

Lakehead University is being applauded for its role in fostering cooperation between Canada and Mexico in a time of economic and political uncertainty.

During Prime Minister Mark Carney's September 18 visit to Mexico, he and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum launched the inaugural Canada-Mexico Action Plan 2025-2028 to strengthen ties between the two nations.

The plan singles out the importance of a Lakehead University initiative—the Canada–Mexico Roundtable on Indigenous and Intercultural Higher Education—as one of the ways to promote mobility, inclusivity, and well-being.

The 2024 Canada–Mexico Roundtable on Indigenous and Intercultural Higher Education (above) was held at the Xalapa Campus of the Veracruzana University in Mexico.

"I was contacted by the Canadian embassy in Mexico about Lakehead University's roundtables while the Canada-Mexico Action Plan was being finalized," says Pierre Sved, Lakehead's international relations manager for Latin America. "They wanted to highlight the roundtables as a model of success."

Canada-Mexico Roundtables on Indigenous/Intercultural Higher Education

Lakehead University is a leader in Indigenous postsecondary education with one of the largest Indigenous student populations of any Canadian university.

In 2012, Lakehead reached beyond its borders to establish the Canada-Mexico Roundtables on Indigenous/Intercultural Higher Education. The purpose was to connect Mexican intercultural universities with Canadian universities and colleges that support Indigenous education.

Intercultural universities are schools located in remote, mostly mountainous, areas of Mexico where the majority of students are Indigenous. The State of Puebla's intercultural university, for instance, is a five-hour drive from its capital city.

Indigenous Initiatives Vice-Provost Denise Baxter and Lakehead students Maya Oversby and Summer Lavellee visit the Palacio de Bellas Artes cultural centre in Mexico City in 2024. Lakehead is grateful for the support Canada-Mexico Roundtables receive from Canada's embassy in Mexico and Global Affairs Canada.

"We wanted to connect the heads of these postsecondary institutions to discuss shared challenges and solutions," Sved says. "Common issues faced by Indigenous Peoples in Canada and Mexico include discrimination and barriers to higher education, jobs, and health care."

The roundtables were created by Lakehead's sixth president and vice-chancellor, Dr. Brian Stevenson, together with the University of Lethbridge, Vancouver Island University, and the Mexican Education Ministry (SEP).

The Power of Working Together

Roundtables happen annually but were interrupted for several years by COVID. They are organized around specific themes chosen by the host school. Past themes have included Indigenous entrepreneurship, human rights, and maternal health for Indigenous Peoples.

Encouraging student and faculty mobility is one of the driving forces of the roundtables.

"Throughout the years, Indigenous students at Lakehead University have participated in outward mobility opportunities, visiting Intercultural universities in Mexico," says Indigenous Initiatives Vice-Provost Denise Baxter.

Cultural activities help students better understand each other’s perspectives and heritage. Above, Summer Lavellee, Indigenous Initiatives Vice-Provost Denise Baxter, and Maya Oversby attend Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.

"The opportunity to meet with other Indigenous students and faculty members to engage in rich intercultural learning opportunities has been impactful. We have also been fortunate to host faculty and Indigenous students on our campus and in our region to engage in learning, sharing, and collaboration on future projects," explains Indigenous Initiatives Vice-Provost Baxter.

Today, over 500 Indigenous students from Mexico have studied in Canada as part of the roundtables. This includes 120 students who came to Lakehead, primarily for its language programs, while more than 10 Indigenous Lakehead students have travelled to Mexico. "Many of the students have told me that this was a life-changing experience," Sved says.

Equally important to the roundtables is forging joint research collaborations to solve social, environmental, and economic problems.

Lakehead Garners International Praise

"The influence of the roundtables has spread internationally, building connections in countries such as Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, and New Zealand," says Lakehead Vice-Provost International Dr. Aamir Taiyeb.

Above, Lakehead student Summer Lavellee, Mexican student Maria de Lourdes Ayala Mata, Marcos Juarez Martinez, Mexican student Adriana Eloisa Perez Esquivel, and Lakehead Indigenous Initiatives Administrative and Programs Officer Stacey Pawluk visit the Thunder Bay marina in June 2025.

The roundtables' transformative impact was recognized in the Canada-Mexico Action Plan 2025–2028, which states:

"The Canada-Mexico Roundtable on Indigenous Higher Education will serve as a key platform for deepening academic partnerships, advancing research collaboration, and strengthening institutional linkages in support of Indigenous post-secondary education."

Through these roundtables, Lakehead will continue to strengthen partnerships, advance Indigenous education, and celebrate the diversity of Indigenous peoples and cultures that enrich its campuses and communities.

As Prime Minister Carney said when he announced the new bilateral plan, "today, we're beginning a new era of elevated cooperation."

The University of Manitoba will host the next Canada–Mexico Roundtable on Indigenous and Intercultural Higher Education in June 2026.