Conservative MP Jason Kenney says it doesn't appear possible Brenda Martin will be freed from her Guadalajara prison this week, but that "progress" has been made with Mexican officials.
Kenney, the minister responsible for multiculturalism, is in Mexico to visit justice officials, foreign affairs officials and prison officials.
He had wanted to speak with Martin, but the 51-year-old Ontario woman has been segregated inside the prison and her health is deteriorating, making any such meeting unlikely.
CTV's Lisa LaFlamme spoke with Kenney Wednesday. She said he did not specify what sort of progress had been made with officials, but that he felt local authorities wanted to see the matter resolved.
However, Kenney also said that securing Martin's release "will take more time."
Martin may remain in prison until her trial is carried out, but she has already been waiting behind bars for two years. A judge is expected to render a verdict in May.
"After the trial, should it be necessary, we could get a transfer for her to Canada in a matter of days," said Kenney.
As the junior minister met with Mexican officials, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the case has alarmed Canadians.
"I think we're all troubled by the fact that a Canadian has been in a Mexican prison now for two years without trial," said Harper. "The process is unacceptably slow and I think it troubles all of us."
Martin has been awaiting trial in Mexico for two years, accused of taking part in a $60-million fraud scheme orchestrated by her former boss Alyn Waage.
She denies the claims and maintains her innocence, saying she was simply Waage's chef, and invested in his company believing him to be a legitimate businessman.
Harper said Wednesday that he "recently requested a full review of the file."
Still, the prime minister emphasized that Mexico's judicial system is independent so he simply can't demand that Martin be freed.
"If the president of Mexico called me and demanded I release a Mexican national, I would not be in the position to do that -- we have an independent judicial system," he said.
Earlier Wednesday, Martin's mother, Marjorie Bletcher, said that the fate of her daughter is "in the prime minister's hands."
"She's already said her goodbyes to me," a tearful Bletcher told CTV's Canada AM from Trenton, Ontario. "I'm so scared, please help her, please help her."
Bletcher also said her daughter has gone downhill so much that if any visit by Kenney is just a photo-op it will "destroy her."
"Prime minister please help her, don't use her as a political football, please don't do it, her life is at stake, please help her," said Bletcher.
A government source told CP that the MPs "intend to check up on her health, let her know that officials at the highest level are focused on her case, and ensure that any immediate needs are being taken care of."
"They also intend to continue the process of raising her case with Mexican officials to underscore how serious Canada takes it," said the source.
During an interview last week on CTV's Canada AM, an emotional Martin begged Harper to call Mexico's president and request her release, saying she "couldn't get through a day."
Martin has been on suicide watch in the prison's hospital ward and her emotional state appears to have declined in recent months.
With a report by CTV's Lisa LaFlamme in Guadalajara and files from The Canadian Press
