Unless the G20 can adequately deal with climate change, development assistance to poor countries, food security and the financial crisis, globalization can't be made to work, says the G20's inventor, former prime minister Paul Martin. The seminal task of the G20 - the 19 countries with the world's largest economies plus the European Union - is to send the right signals, to demonstrate the right commitments, he told the annual Couchiching Conference on public affairs on Saturday.

July 23, 2010Foreign Policy The U.S. economy killed the climate bill. Its main accomplices were congressional Republican obstructionism, an anemic White House effort, and misplaced reliance on industry and environmental interest groups to deliver votes. In January 2009, when President Barack Obama was inaugurated, the smart money on cap and trade was betting on a climate bill just as soon as U.S. employment recovered. That, in most people's minds, meant that we'd have to wait until 2011 or so for a bill. That basic logic hasn't changed. Indeed, things have only gotten worse.

Authors Margaret Purdy and Leanne Smythe of the Liu Institute for Global Issues have published a new article in International Journal reviewing climate change policy with an emphasis on its relationship to human and national security. Read more  

William A. Kerr Senior Associate, Estey Centre for Law and Economics in International Trade

In this policy update, Derek Burney of the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute examines Canada-U.S. Relations, noting that there are three primary areas that Canada must focus on to maintain and strengthen its relationship with the United States: the border; energy security and climate change; and annual summits. Read "From the July 13, 2010 edition of Canada Watch, a weekly summary of Canadian news and information sources compiled by the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C."  

The Pembina Institute's recent Backgrounder outlines some of the key areas where the G8 and G20 summits in Canada could help to bolster the global climate negotiations, particularly by providing financial support for climate action in poorer countries.

On May 28, 2010, Mexican President Felipe Calderon finished his second visit in ten days to his country's NAFTA partners. The trip included speeches before both nation's legislatures as well as meetings with President Obama and Prime Minister Harper.

Published June 2010