On Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum disclosed that her government had formally presented Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with a list of Canadian mining companies operating in Mexico that have outstanding environmental obligations. The move, she said, is not aimed at questioning the presence of the firms but at compelling them to observe the same remediation and mitigation standards they follow in Canada. “They comply in Canada and often do not comply in Mexico,” Sheinbaum stated, adding that the environmental ministry (Semarnat) and the federal environmental protection agency (Profepa) are intensifying supervision of the cases.

The list was delivered by Environment Secretary Alicia Bárcena and comes amid heightened scrutiny of extractive projects. Mexican authorities recently confirmed partial closures at the Los Filos gold mine in Guerrero, operated by Canada’s Equinox Gold, after inspections identified risks related to waste management and deposit stability. According to Mexican officials, the issue was raised directly with Carney to strengthen bilateral cooperation and ensure companies adhere to the same environmental standards they meet at home. The exchange occurs as Mexico, Canada and the United States prepare for the scheduled review of the USMCA trade pact, within which critical minerals cooperation has been a strategic topic.

Separately, Sheinbaum confirmed that Mexico is working to resume commercial oil shipments to Cuba, but through a new channel: private Mexican firms holding permits to transport fuel, rather than state-owned Pemex. The plan, she explained, would take advantage of a package of free-market reforms recently approved by Cuba’s government, which opens greater space for private investment, including from Cubans abroad. “We hope that commercial transport can resume soon,” she said, while stressing that humanitarian aid to the island continues. Viewed from Havana, the initiative could offer relief to an energy system that produces only 40 per cent of the petroleum it needs, leaving the country grappling with prolonged blackouts, water shortages and suspended medical services.

The shift to private-sector shipments is widely interpreted in North American capitals as an attempt to navigate the threat of US tariffs. Washington has warned it will penalise any nation supplying oil to Cuba, and Mexico — historically a key supplier alongside Venezuela and Russia — suspended state-level shipments after the US military action in Venezuela in January and the subsequent capture of Nicolás Maduro. Since then, only one Russian tanker has delivered crude to the island. By routing future trade through private companies, Mexican officials appear to be testing a legal and commercial distinction that might insulate the bilateral relationship from US sanctions pressure, though no timeline has been specified.

On the domestic energy front, Sheinbaum reported that a scientific panel reviewing the potential exploitation of unconventional gas reserves is close to delivering initial recommendations. She reiterated that no decision would be taken without consulting affected communities and ruled out handing resource development to transnational firms, framing the issue as a matter of national sovereignty. The report is expected to be presented publicly in the coming days.