A recent report published by the Fraser Institute indicates that "Canada's top economic security interest remains unimpeded access to the US market." The report, entitled ‘Canada-US Relations in 2010', argues that economic integration has become more challenging as concerns about border security, procurement, and carbon emissions prevent trade among the two countries.

The Border Barometer, published in February 2010, is a tool developed by Western Washington University's Border Policy Research Institute, and University at Buffalo's Regional Institute of economic activity along the US-Canadian border. Published annually, the Border Barometer serves to provide a clearer understanding of trade and security issues that arise along the border and at individual ports of entry. It is a project funded by the BORDERNET initiative of the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Read the Border Barometer

Mexico has substantially improved its ranking on an influential list of destinations for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The 2010 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, produced by A. T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm, indexes the outlook of senior executives at many of the largest companies in the world.

Recent activity by the Obama administration points to the possibility of a breakthrough in the ongoing cross-border trucking dispute between Mexico and the United States.  Following his two-day visit to Mexico on February 8 and 9, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk had optimistic predictions for the settlement of the dispute.  In an interview with Reuters, the Representative noted that President Obama had successfully persuaded Congress to remove a clause in the 2010 appropriations bill that had effectively prohibited the movement of Mexican transport trucks into the United Sta