The leader of Canada’s main oil-producing province visited Mexico in a bid to help reset relations with Latin America’s second-largest economy, with a particular eye to promoting energy projects.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith , who previously argued Canada would be better off dealing with the United States alone, emphasized that the northern nation now has the ability to ship

oil and gas to Mexico directly thanks to new Pacific Ocean export facilities.

“It just makes sense to see, now that there is a little turmoil in the relationship with the United States, if there’s ways that we can strengthen the bilateral relationship between Mexico and Canada,” Smith said Monday in an interview at a Mexico City hotel.

Smith said she intended to showcase the strength of Alberta companies like

TC Energy Corp. and ATCO Ltd. during her two-day trip. She planned to meet with representatives of state oil giant Petroleos Mexicanos, as well as officials from Mexico’s foreign ministry and companies from the transportation, agriculture and financial services industries.

The Alberta leader arrived in Mexico a week after Canada’s top diplomat and finance chief visited for talks with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum . They pair laid the groundwork for an expected trip by Prime Minister

Mark Carney , as both nations grapple with the protectionist turn taken by the U.S. under

Donald Trump . “We’ve been very clear as a country that if the Americans are going to be resistant to receiving imports, that it’s up to us to try to find new markets and new friendships,” Smith said. “And I think Mexico is very much in the same situation.”

With the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion beginning operations last year near Vancouver and cargoes now shipping from the

LNG Canada facility in northern British Columbia, Smith said Alberta is finally able to export both heavy oil and natural gas by sea. That’s something that could benefit Mexico, the premier added, given it currently depends on the U.S. for approximately 70 per cent of the gas it consumes.

“Mexico seems to need to have a little bit of security of supply, having different ways of being able to receive LNG,” Smith said. In addition to providing gas to help Mexico generate power, she said Alberta could also “provide a supply of heavy oil for the development of diesel and aviation fuel” as well.

“There’s just a way for us to be able to do that now on the ocean that we didn’t have before, and so I think that that’s a good conversation for us to have,” Smith said.

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Last year, before Trump returned to the White House to begin his second term, Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly accused Mexico of not doing enough to counter trade threats from China and suggested

Canada cut it out of North American trade talks . But Trump has since hiked tariffs to 35 per cent on Canadian goods that don’t comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement, in part because Canada retaliated against his levies. Mexico, which hasn’t hit back, was granted a 90-day reprieve while negotiations continue. Both countries also face tariffs on steel and automobiles.

So now, given the difficulties Canada is facing, Smith is changing tack. “All of the leaders in Canada are interested in exploring ways to strengthen our relationship with Mexico,” the premier said.