In the latest edition of the Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy (Volume 11, Number 1), Greg Anderson from the Political Science Department at the University of Alberta and the Alberta Institute for American Studies discusses the limitations of North American integration since 1994. According to Anderson, North American integration and in particular, the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), have largely been shaped by the "three noes": no money, no disputes, and no legislation.

On Wednesday, March 3, 2010, the Governor-General of Canada will open the Third Session of the 40th Parliament with a Speech from the Throne. In doing so, Michaelle Jean will bring to an end just over two months of prorogation initiated by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on December 30, 2009. This is the second time in a year that the Harper government has requested the prorogation of parliament, with the last suspension taking place in 2008 when the Conservative government was faced with a non-confidence vote.

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.