Good op-ed.  Any salient attempt by Canada to collaborate with regional players such as Mexico will help the Canadian brand in Latin America and, optimistically, could help reduce violence and bloodshed in Venezuela or elsewhere.  

Just as Canada has benefited tremendously from foreign direct investment in the form of technology transfers, Latin America can benefit from FDI by Canadian firms.   Frankly, many countries in Latin America are already benefiting from Canadian investment and expertise.