To the Senate of the United Mexican States

Yet, even as I speak, events elsewhere in the world are causing some to wonder about our future prospects. Whether humanity possesses the collective wisdom to escape conflicts and attitudes that are as old as the millennium, and that are giving rise to atrocities as terrible as any seen this century.

That is why I am very pleased to be here in Mexico. And, to have been invited to address you, the elected representatives of the Mexican people. For in my judgement, the Mexico of today has charted a course into the new millennium.

A bold course. A course that should give all people hope. A course on which Canada is proud to be travelling with you. You are, yourselves, living examples of the most important triumph of this century. The triumph of democracy.

After decades of sacrifice and bloodshed. In the face of adversaries that boasted a stronger will and a better way, it is democracy -- the power of the people -- that is everywhere on the march. Nations which have made the commitment to democratic reform, are the nations which are marching into the future with confidence and optimism.

Mexico has made that commitment. President Zedillo, and you, have taken bold and determined steps to strengthen democracy. Of course the task is never over. We must be vigilant and firm in ensuring that the essential promise of the democratic way is fully realized. That government by the people is truly government for the people. One that sets their hopes and dreams, protecting their rights, ensuring their security, and enhancing their quality of life above everything else.

At the same time that Mexico has chosen democracy, she has also charted a new economic course based on principles that the 20th century has also clearly shown to be essential for building that better quality of life: open trade and investment.

It is our embrace of these fundamental propositions that has given Canada and Mexico common purpose. They are the pillars in the foundation of a growing partnership that is bringing our people closer together as we work toward building a better life for own nations, and for our friends and neighbours throughout the Americas.

Ours is a partnership in prosperity. Sound economic policies have produced growth rates in our countries that are the envy of many. Setting the stage for growing trade and investment. With bilateral trade increasing by 65 % in the past five years, and Canada becoming the second largest destination for Mexican exports. I was especially pleased to note that, even in the absence of its Captain in January 1998, Team Canada scored a record 91 commercial deals worth $230 million.

But more than prosperity, ours is a partnership about people. Increased prosperity means new job opportunities for people. New chances for them to realize their dreams. Indeed, our experience has shown -- beyond any doubt -- that bringing down barriers to trade and investment under the NAFTA has been to the benefit our people.

This is a truth that we need to emphasize over and over again. Because when our economies experience difficulties for other reasons, there is still a tendency to use free trade as an easy scape goat. This lingering doubt and suspicion also means that we have to work hard to ensure that concrete benefits are shared as widely as possible. In my judgement, new prosperity has meaning only if it serves to enhance the well being and security of the many-- not just the few. If it helps give people wider access to health care, a cleaner environment, better working conditions, and more confidence that their fundamental rights will be respected.

And, as a clear demonstration of our shared commitment to that principle, Canada and Mexico are deepening cooperative efforts to advance the protection and promotion of human rights within the context of our shared, international commitments.

We are also working to develop new dimensions in our relationship beyond those of commerce and government. Artists and students, academics and non-governmental organizations, are coming together in ways that enrich both our countries. The new bilateral Air Services Agreement signed today is an appropriate symbol of that relationship. By opening the skies, we will get to know each other even more.

Ladies and gentlemen, the embrace of democracy and free markets is not only transforming Mexico, it is transforming the Americas. And, as these fundamental values take deeper and deeper root, from Baffin Island to Tierra del Fuego, our hemisphere is becoming not just a group of nations connected by an accident of geography. But by an active identity. With the confidence and maturity to work together toward common goals.

That is why Canada joined the OAS almost ten years ago. That is why Canada and Mexico took the bold step of negotiating NAFTA with the United States. And that is why hemispheric leaders endorsed a comprehensive vision and plan of action for our common future at the Miami Summit of the Americas in 1994.

In Miami, and last year in Santiago, we affirmed that greater shared prosperity is a centrepiece of that vision. And we endorsed achieving a Free Trade Area of the Americas as a principal means of making that happen.

But, ladies and gentlemen, we also made it clear that economic integration alone could not yield the better quality of life we all want. There must also be an equally strong commitment to consolidate democracy, to promote human rights and to address social inequalities through promoting education and eliminating racial discrimination.

In the Santiago Plan of Action, we endorsed undertakings in all of these areas. And, in the year since, concrete progress has been made on this ambitious agenda. Combatting the scourge of illegal drugs is one example. My proposal in Santiago of a Dialogue Group on Drugs has moved forward. Canada has presented ideas on what countries can do together to identify and address the corrosive impact that the drug trade has on youth and families, on respect for human rights and on democratic institutions.

Canada looks upon additional progress in each of these areas as cornerstones on which a truly shared hemispheric prosperity can be built. We believe they go hand in hand with progress on the FTAA. With Canada in the Chair of the Trade Negotiation Committee, we have made substantial progress in the FTAA negotiations. Our Minister for International Trade, the Honourable Sergio Marchi, will welcome his colleagues to Toronto in November to take stock of where we are, and plan where we are going.

But it is clear that we still must address and overcome key challenges.

The lack of fast track authority in the United States is a disappointment. It sends an unhelpful signal about the commitment of the USA to negotiations that are key to the economic development of the entire hemisphere.

We need to make progress on cutting red tape. So that people, products and services can move more freely.

There are divergent views on the role of civil society. The informed engagement of the public is essential to the legitimacy of the FTAA. So that we can show that an Agreement is not just about improving corporate bottom lines.

We must also act firmly to contain the impact of negative global financial developments, and resist the related lure of protectionism.

Finally, we must be sensitive to disparities in size and economic development. A successful Agreement is one that leaves no member behind.

These are serious challenges, no question. But I am fully confident that we will reach our goal of concluding the FTAA by 2005.

Ladies and gentlemen, in Miami I spoke of Canada and its partners in free trade as being friends, "amigos". In Santiago, I was moved to describe the nations of the Americas as having become "una gran familia."

As we prepare for a new millennium, the time has come to get beyond such nice words. To forge bonds of community and identity that will make all of our peoples feel that they are truly part of that greater family.

I do not think that seeing the challenge of building a true community of the Americas, and being excited by the opportunity, makes me an idle dreamer or a simple idealist.

Making a real family is hard work, the work of a lifetime. Indeed, the work of many generations. I also know that even the longest journey begins with the first step and that we have already taken many steps together. We have been bound by geography to be neighbours, and history has truly made us friends . The warm welcome I receive wherever I go in the hemisphere is testament to that.

Canada will be returning the favour on a number of occasions over the next two years. From welcoming the Pan-American Games to Winnipeg. To being the site for the General Assembly of the OAS next year. To hosting the next meeting of the Spouses of the Heads of State and Government of the Americas.

And I am especially proud that we have been given the privilege of hosting the next Summit of the Americas. Let me express my sincere hope that all those who attend the next Summit will leave Canada thinking of themselves as more than partners, as more than neighbours.

Let us, together, build on the triumphs of the 20th century that are transforming Mexico, the Americas and the world. Triumphs not of ideology or armies. But of the one force that truly drives history and progress. The triumphs of people.

Let the spirit of these hard-won victories inspire us in the new millennium. And let us recognize that we are all members of one large, diverse and dynamic family -- the Family of the Americas.