In an age of international terrorism and illegal immigration, a well-functioning border is vital for homeland security. For the United States and Canada, however, it is also vital for national prosperity, for each is the other's largest trading partner, and much of that trade is in intermediate goods that support the bi-national production of finished products, most notably autos. Roughly 400,000 individuals cross the border every day, many with deadlines for delivering cargo or reporting to work.

The 15 year debate over NAFTA has not ended. There still remain externalities and problems that have yet to be debated. However, opposition from both the left and right of the political spectrum remain entrenched in old debates. From the left, last year's Democratic primary race especially shed new light on the labor and environmental debates surrounding the treaty. From the right, Lou Dobbs has led the charge against continental integration and a North American Community. The state of North American integration must be re-evaluated. Where do we go from here?

MEXICO (AP) "Los mexicanos votaron el domingo para renovar la Cámara de Diputados, en una jornada donde se medirá el desencanto con la clase política y el apoyo al Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) del presidente Felipe Calderón, quien ha hecho del combate al narcotráfico el eje de su gobierno. Más de 77 millones de mexicanos registrados en el padrón electoral fueron convocados para participar en una jornada electoral en la que también se eligieron seis de 31 gobernadores y centenas de alcaldías y legisladores locales, en un país sumido en una recesión económica y con varias regiones afectadas por

We are increasingly under America's thumb --Globe and Mail, Stephen Clarkson-- In the controversy over Michael Ignatieff's putative lack of Canadian bona fides for having talked and written in the first person plural about being American, it is surprising that the apostles of continental integration, who have long been trying to erase the Canadian-American border, have not rushed to his defence. After all, the surrender of federal and provincial powers brought about by the misnomer called "free trade" has contributed not just to Washington's growing control over Canadians' - and of course, Mex

According to Carin Holroyd of the Institute for Research on Public Policy, the perennial Canadian task of balancing federal-provincial powers and responsibilities faces a new challenge in the age of economic globalization. Holroyd asserts that over the past two decades, provincial and territorial governments have become increasingly active in promoting international trade and investment.

Foreign trade is said to "link countries all over the world in a network of production that underpins global prosperity."  Barriers to global trade challenge that very network and could prolong the recession.

As part of a broader consultative process,  on January 16, Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with provincial and territorial leaders to discuss their economic and fiancial concerns prior to the federal budget being tabled.  A host of issues were discussed, including labour mobility and transportation; as expected, most of the talk centred on economic issues, and specifically, on stimulus measures designed to kick start a struggling Canadian economy. According to most reports, Canada's premieres came away from the meeting satisfied that Canada was heading in the right direction.