A Mexican travel warning... for MPs

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NDP MP Bruce Hyer got a taste of Mexican retribution recently. 

 

Hyer, the MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, was traveling with his wife Margaret to Mexico about ten days ago. They arrived in Mexico City first, and then the plan was to keep going to San Miguel de Allende for a holiday. But their vacation plans hit a major snag right at the Mexico City airport.

 

"I got to Mexico City in all innocence," says Hyer, "and they said "no, no... go away... can't come to Mexico. If you had a regular passport, you could have a holiday. But since you have a special green passport [a type of diplomatic passport issued to Parliamentarians like Hyer], you need a visa."

 

Hyer became a casualty of the Mexican anger towards Canada over the new visa requirements announced by the Harper government last July.  The new rule demands that visitors from Mexico obtain visas to travel to Canada.

 

"I queried them closely and in straightforward Spanish, in which I'm fluent," says Hyer. "They said this is hit back behavior for what Stephen Harper did to us last year when every Mexican tourist, or student, or businessperson, is required to have a visa to enter Canada."

 

Since Hyer was carrying a special green passport issued to MPs instead of the regular blue passport, he stood out like a sore thumb.

 

"I shouldn't have brought that darn special green passport.  I should have brought my regular passport," says Hyer.

 

Hyer had lined up some meetings with Mexican officials about climate change. His private member's bill on greenhouse gas emissions survived prorogation and will soon be up for third reading.

 

But for the most part, his Mexican trip was supposed to be a holiday, and time to rest after a bad bout with throat cancer.  

 

Hyer is out of pocket thousands of dollars.

 

"It gives me one more reason to be grumpy with Stephen Harper," says Hyer.

 

The same unceremonious forced exit has happened to at least five other Canadians believed to be carrying similar diplomatic passports.

 

Instead, Hyer and his wife decided to head to the Grand Canyon.

 

So all was not lost.