Mexico’s World Cup vibe tops Canada, U.S., says Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum

Mexico’s World Cup vibe tops Canada, U.S., says Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum

Sheinbaum responded to question about Conservative Leader Poilievre's recent statement involving Mexico

Canada and the U.S. can't top Mexico's World Cup vibe, says Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

"What you experience in Mexico, you don't experience in the U.S. or Canada," said Sheinbaum on Monday, during her regular weekday news conference, where she also responded to questions about a statement Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recently made regarding Mexico and Vancouver.

"It is a sense of happiness, a joy, a reception, an affection, a welcome from the people of Mexico to the visitors and the excitement surrounding the World Cup."

Sheinbaum invited a family, whose pet duck Merlin has become a World Cup rock star, to take part in the news conference.

Merlin "has become a symbol of the World Cup … of who we are as Mexican families," she said.

"That is above everything else."

Merlín llega a Palacio Nacional y roba reflectores en la mañanera de Sheinbaum #TiempoyEspacio #NoticiasAquíyAhora #Canal10 #Durango pic.twitter.com/5VAic9KI22

Merlin waddled into the news conference sporting a FIFA scarf and a green Mexico soccer jersey.

The two-year-old duck has become an unofficial World Cup mascot after video showing him waddling through street-level celebrations of Mexico's June 11 2-0 victory over South Africa lit up social media.

FIFA recently named Merlin as its World Cup "ambassador."

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Mexico's official World Cup mascot is Zayu, an anthropomorphic jaguar, while Canada and the U.S. have Maple the moose and Clutch the eagle, respectively. The three countries are co-chosting the World Cup. Mexico previously hosted the event in 1970 and 1986.

Last Thursday, hundreds of thousands of people poured out into one of Mexico City's main avenues to celebrate the national team's victory over South Korea.

Esta noche celebra México 🇲🇽

📹 Oscar Damián vía Instagram
👇🏽https://t.co/cfysFbT6jH pic.twitter.com/7y6VR3qpjt

Comments relate to Poilievre statement

Sheinbaum made the comments about Mexico's superior World Cup vibe in response to a CBC News question regarding a statement by Poilievre, who recently used Mexico as a foil for Vancouver to make a point critical of the federal Liberal government's handling of the crime file.

On Friday, during a news conference in Vancouver, Poilievre said he recently met a woman at an airport who told him she had moved to Mexico from Vancouver "so that she would feel more safe."

"Let that sink in, she feels more safe in Mexico than in Vancouver," said Poilievre, who did not mention which part of Mexico the woman now resides.

A video clip of Poilievre's statement spread widely across social media platforms like X with one post gaining nearly a million views.

Poilievre: I met a lady at the airport the other day who told me that she moved from Vancouver to Mexico so that she would feel more safe. Let that sink in. She feels more safe in Mexico than in Vancouver.

(Mexico’s homicide rate is more than 13x higher than Vancouver’s) pic.twitter.com/QlSzsJwJ2t

Crime rates in Mexico vary widely across regions and between boroughs in cities like Mexico City.

The Mexican president did not directly address Poilievre's statement, but used the opportunity to mention her government's work in cutting the country's intentional homicide rate by 46 per cent over 20 months.

"What is certain is that we've advanced a lot in Mexico," she said.

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A woman who goes by the X handle @Lioness0817 posted a photo of herself and Poilievre and said she was the one he mentioned in his airport anecdote.

She posted that she met Poilievre on June 5 and that she was willing to go public with her story. In a separate post Monday, she said she moved to Mexico "because there was a direct threat to me."

"I didn't leave because I hate Canada," she wrote.

Europe Is Rejecting Left-Wing Politics... Canada's Establishment Is Pani... https://t.co/d1Aodzj6hL via @YouTube @dsimieritsch I’m the woman @PierrePoilievre met at the airport. The one who feels much safer in Mexico. I’d love to share my story. pic.twitter.com/gjrkqN9h6N

CBC News reached out to the person behind the account to request an interview, but did not receive a response.

Poilievre stood by his comments during a news conference Monday, though he did not mention Mexico.

"There are a lot of women who frankly feel very unsafe in Canada today," he said, adding that "Liberal commentators online" should be "ashamed of themselves" for trying to silence the woman he met at the airport.

"They have no business telling a woman that she should not demand safety in her community," Poilievre said.

Jorge Barrera is a Caracas-born journalist currently based in Mexico City for CBC News. He previously worked with CBC's Investigative Unit and CBC's Indigenous Unit. Follow him on X @JorgeBarrera or email him jorge.barrera@cbc.ca.