This thesis explores the ways in which Mexican and Canadian print journalism reflect, through the use of a neo-colonial discourse, the power imbalances that characterises these countries’ bilateral relationship. Mexico and Canada are partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which also includes the U.S. The alliance has deep asymmetries in economic power and development between signatories, and Canada and Mexico’s lack of common interests limits their diplomatic relationship to economic activities. A symptom of this is the underrepresentation Mexico and Canada have in each other’s national media, with coverage limited mostly to problematic events involving both countries. 
I argue that representations in the Canadian and Mexican press about the other nation reflect the power asymmetries of their bilateral relationship and, thus, maintain a neo-colonial discourse, which perpetuates the current power structures by reinforcing racism, xenophobia, otherness and exploitation. 
Through quantitative and qualitative analyses of the coverage of three events during 2009 that created moments of tension between Canada and Mexico this study examines how asymmetric international power relations are expressed through a neo-colonial discourse in the media and, thus, advances an explanation of the media’s role in perpetuating otherness and xenophobia, and its impact on the perception of the bilateral relationship between Mexico and Canada.