AS MUCH OUR PROBLEM

It is not enough for Canadian authorities to wag fingers at Mexico as
a national security problem for this country. Demand by Americans and
Canadians is the basis for the Mexican drug trade, a trade that is
global in nature. This is not the responsibility of any one state
alone. Mexico is no more a national security problem for Canada than
this country is a national security problem for Mexico.

From the moment he took office, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has
instigated an aggressive offensive against criminal syndicates, a
fight that has prompted a fierce backlash by drug lords. The President
hiked salaries for the federal police and military, and sent soldiers
and federal police into cities corrupted by the drug cartels. The
government has captured some drug kingpins and approved extraditions
to the U.S. One consequence has been a shocking increase in
drug-related violence. This backlash is a direct result of these
measures' success, as the cartels try to intimidate Mexican
authorities and fight each other for control of the trade. The level
of violence may get worse before it gets better, but if Mr. Calderon
stays the course, it will get better.

The unnamed Canadian official who said of the fighting, "It's going to
impact on us," is missing the point. Canada and the United States are
the reason for the existence of the cartels, which are essentially a
service industry for Canadian and American users. In that way, Mexican
officials can legitimately say that Canadian demand for drugs is
"going to impact" them, too.

The cartels are not only enriched by sales to Americans and Canadians,
but are also armed with weapons that pour across the border from the
U.S. into Mexico. The U.S. has contributed $400-million (U.S.) through
the Merida anti-narcotics assistance program to assist in training
Mexican police and improving border surveillance. The contribution is
small next to what is needed, and the onus is on the U.S. and Canada
to do much more. Mexico's fight is our fight, and it is hemispheric
security that officials in Ottawa need to be concerned about.