GUADALAJARA, Mexico -
If Mexicans were seeking reassurance that some day they might regain visa-free access to travel in Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper left the door slightly ajar Sunday.
The prime minister offered no guarantees as he arrived in Guadalajara for a so-called Three Amigos summit of North American leaders.
But when asked whether he considered a new visa policy that has angered Mexicans a permanent one, he merely replied that it will last "as long as'' Canada's refugee system awaits reform.
He said his government will table a plan in Parliament to speed up processing times, cutting down on bogus claimants while ensuring that legitimate refugees get processed faster.
The government slapped the travel restrictions on Mexico - Canada's biggest source of refugees - last month in a stated effort to reduce an ever-expanding refugee waiting list.
The move has caused a stir in Mexico and President Felipe Calderon promised to plead for a policy reversal during the two-day summit.
Harper emerged from his first meeting with Calderon offering no guarantees - but at the same time, he left open the possibility that the policy will change.
"The visas will stay as long as the problem exists,'' Harper told a news conference, when asked whether the measure was permanent.
"We had been facing over the past several years, and particularly this year, a rise in the number of bogus refugee claimants coming from Mexico.
"This is not the fault of the government of Mexico - let me be very clear about this. This is a problem in Canadian refugee law which encourages bogus claims.''
Harper did offer one commitment on Sunday: He promised that the Mounties will play a role in Mexico's bloody battle against warring drug cartels.
He made the announcement upon landing in a country sideswiped by war between rival gangs.
Given the recent downturn in Canada-Mexico relations because of the visa flap, the government was eager to trumpet its gesture of friendship.
Officials from the Prime Minister's Office began issuing press releases announcing the measure on the airplane even before arriving in Mexico.
The RCMP will offer a variety of training programs to hundreds of Mexican federal police ranging from rookie recruits to senior officers.
The program size is modest - just $400,000 from a $15 million-a-year fund created in the 2009 budget to fight crime in the Americas.
But the Harper government says it's responding to specific demands from Mexico, and is prepared to do more.
"We've received these requests from Mexico,'' said one government official.
"This is sort of a first phase. We'll continue to work with them to see what other requests we have.''
The Mounties will offer tips on interviewing techniques for entry-level police; mid-level officers will learn about money-laundering, undercover tactics, and child exploitation; and senior officers will hear about crisis management, public relations, and dealing with civilian leaders.
The announcement comes as Mexico conducts a major overhaul of its justice system, switching from an inquisitorial system dominated by paper submissions to an adversarial one like Canada's, where the prosecution and defence square off in a courtroom.
The shift will force police to change the way they gather evidence and prepare for trials.
It is primarily designed to help police cope with an escalating drug war.
An estimated 6,000 people died last year in a conflict that has seen scores of civilians, police and civic leaders murdered by drug cartels.
Canadian officials hoped the move might help the countries move beyond a dispute that has soured their normally harmonious relationship.
Mexicans were incensed last month when Canada announced it would bar visitors from that country unless they had tourist visas. The measure was seen as an insulting slight from a neighbour and major trading partner.
It has also caused anxiety among Mexican travellers - especially those outside Mexico City who worry about mailing their passport to the Canadian embassy and getting it back on time.
A Harper spokesman has said the visa decision will not be reversed any time soon.
Privately, however, government officials say the measure is likely temporary.
They say it will no longer be necessary once Canada makes changes to its refugee system, to speed up processing times, as early as this fall.
In the meantime, the government says its system cannot handle the 9,000 refugee applications it gets each year from Mexican visitors - almost all of which are rejected and which only worsen the existing backlog of cases.
The move has generated considerable news coverage in Mexico.
Television stories have featured images of long lineups outside the Canadian embassy, while would-be tourists express incredulity that a friendly country would subject them to such an insult.
For more on the summit, see Page B6
