Justin Trudeau's Latin American tour this week was meant to showcase Canada's long-established goodwill toward its trade partners in the region, crowned by the announcement of a business deal or two, and hopefully give a push to the much discussed and much delayed Trans-Pacific Partnership. 

All of that was before Donald Trump was elected president of the U.S., casting a shadow over trade alliances throughout the Americas and adding urgency to Trudeau's effort to break down barriers and boost investment. 

"One of the great paradoxes precisely at the moment that the U.S. appears to have less interest in free trade is that there's more of an appetite for it in Latin America," said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. "If the U.S. isn't prepared to be a serious partner in pursuing that agenda in Latin America, then Canada is likely to step up and fill that role."