Canada to lift visa for Mexican visitors

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto clasp hands at a joint news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, welcomes Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday June 28, 2016. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, welcomes Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday June 28, 2016. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

OTTAWA, Ontario – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will lift visa requirements for Mexican visitors as of December 2016, while Mexico has agreed to open its markets to Canadian beef.

Trudeau made the announcement Tuesday alongside Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who is in Ottawa for bilateral meetings ahead of Wednesday's Three Amigos summit with U.S. President Barack Obama.

The previous Conservative government imposed the visa requirement in 2009, claiming it was needed to stop thousands of asylum claims being made by Mexican citizens. The requirement caught the Mexican government off guard, and has stood as a major irritant between the two countries.

Canada's Liberals promised during last year's election campaign that the visa requirement would be lifted, but the process has been fraught with delays.