Trudeau, Pena Nieto comparisons only skin-deep

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laughs as he speaks with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto during a session on carbon pricing at the United Nations climate change summit in Le Bourget, France on Monday, Nov. 30, 2015. (Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The visit to Canada by Mexico’s young, telegenic president could lead to comparisons with Justin Trudeau. But there's much that separates them, according to experts.

Trudeau and Enrique Pena Nieto’s attendance at last fall's APEC summit in Manila led to an "APEC hotties" hashtag on Twitter, with a Philippines newspaper asking on its front page which leader its readers preferred.

Now, Pena Nieto is spending three days in Canada, culminating with the North American leaders' summit, at which U.S. President Barack Obama will join Trudeau and Pena Nieto for the first Three Amigos meeting since 2014. Before Obama arrives, however, the Mexican leader will be treated to a state visit, including a state dinner hosted by Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

To some extent, criticism of the Mexican president is similar to criticism of Trudeau by his detractors: Pena Nieto has been accused of being an intellectual lightweight, especially after a 2011 incident where he stumbled for several minutes through a response to a question about which three books influenced him. His 2010 marriage to TV actress Angelica Rivera put the spotlight on his personal life, not just his political life as the then-governor of the state of Mexico.

Other criticisms are darker, centered on government corruption and allegations of torture by Mexican soldiers and police.

Pena Nieto came to power in 2012 on a platform of reform, presenting himself as a fresh face for his party and a leader who would tackle corruption. But he has been criticized for his handling of the 2014 disappearance of 43 student teachers. An independent investigation found suspects were tortured and some evidence wasn't properly investigated or handled.

"More than 27,000 people have disappeared or gone missing in Mexico since 2006, most under the current administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto," Amnesty International Canada said in a briefing note released ahead of the state visit. "Many of these abductions have been carried out by criminal gangs and it is unclear whether any public officials have played a role. In other cases, there is direct or indirect involvement of public officials, amounting to enforced disappearances. Impunity is the norm for these crimes."

Comparisons between the two leaders are "entirely superficial," given the problems with corruption and violence in Mexico, says Laura Macdonald, a Carleton University professor of political science and an expert on Latin American politics.

"They're very, very different politicians and represent very different types of actors in their respective countries," said Macdonald, who worked with Amnesty on one of its pre-visit press conferences.

Four years into his presidency and with no end to the corruption scandals or the war against Mexico's drug cartels, polls suggest Pena Nieto's popularity is low. But on some issues the president has done better, says Carlo Dade, a visiting fellow at the University of Ottawa’s school of international development and global studies.

"He's trying to get through the reform agenda and he's been successful at that," he said, pointing to energy industry reforms and measures to limit the power of the teachers' union.

When it comes to not seeing more progress in the anti-corruption fight, Dade says, "that's a charge that's fair to level against him. [But] there's limited things that the president of Mexico can do. There's a split between the states and the federal government just as there's a split between provinces and the federal government here."

"Mexico has human rights issues. The country's aware of it and the Mexicans are working [on it]. I think what Pena Nieto would like rather than just criticism is some help," he said.

Macdonald disagrees, noting many of the state governments associated with the corruption and human rights problems are from Pena Nieto's own party, and that some of the concerns involve federal crimes going unprosecuted.

"He and his political backers have been associated with high levels of corruption and specific scandals," Macdonald said. He's also unpopular because of "his failure to deliver on promises around public insecurity and failure to deal with, I would say, a human rights crisis in the country," she said.

Speaking to reporters in Quebec City, Pena Nieto said Mexico has to be acknowledged for its efforts to strengthen its legal framework and institutions, as well as for fighting the cases where officials were able to sanction those who infringed on human rights.

"We do acknowledge progress and we must acknowledge that yes, the road is long," he said. "We are not satisfied in terms of the current results. But we are on that path. We are working to have full respect of human rights. Mexico wants to stand out in the world as a country where we have full respect of freedoms and full respect of human rights."

Canada and Mexico do have challenges in common, including troublingly high rates of violence against indigenous women. Macdonald notes it's important not to forget about the human rights issues in Pena Nieto's country.

"It's very bad and not getting better," she said.