The Fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP-15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concluded on December 19, 2009 without long-term targets after a 31-hour negotiating marathon. The conference, which saw the creation of the Copenhagen Accord, has been criticized as "a predictable disappointment" due to fears of economic repercussions, high domestic political stakes, and political finger-pointing.

Office of the United States Trade Representative For Immediate Release: February 5, 2010 Joint Statement from United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Canada's Minister of International Trade, Peter Van Loan, on US-Canada Agreement on Government Procurement Issues The United States and Canada have reached a tentative agreement on government procurement. The agreement is subject to completion of our respective domestic approval processes. This agreement has two major elements.

Toyota Motor Corporation is the latest automotive maker to be confronted with production woes; unlike several of its competitors however, it is not centred on a bailout. The massive Toyota recall which has captured the attention of consumers, as well as transportation regulators, began in 2009 and has since grown to include 270,000 vehicles in Canada and 2.3 million in the United States. Several problems have been identified in recent months, from poorly fitted floor mats which threaten to jam pedals, to defective accelerator pedals that stick and cause sudden, unintended acceleration.

Shares in New Gold, Incorporated dropped 15 percent on November 18, in the wake of the Mexican government's closure of the Cerro de San Pedro mine in San Luis Polosi. The mine is run by Minera San Xavier, a subsidiary of New Gold, which is a Canadian company with operations in Mexico, the United States, Chile and Australia. PROFEPA, Mexico's environmental enforcement agency, closed down the mine following court orders from the Ninth Circuit Administrative Court and the Federal Tribunal of Fiscal and Administrative Justice (SEMARNAT), according to MiningWatch Canada.

President Calderon ordered Mexican federal police to close the offices of Luz y Fuerza del Centro (LyFC) late on the night of Saturday October 10, citing gross inefficiencies in the operation of the country's second largest energy company. Fearing labour protest, riot gear-clad officers occupied dozens of the company's offices and distribution centres in the middle of the night. The government argued that Mexican law obligates the federal police to protect state-owned property considered important to its national interests.

In a piece for the National Post, Canada's Environment Minister Jim Prentice tackles the issue of bilateral climate change cooperation with the US. To address the issue, Prentice writes, "it is imperative that Canada continue to work with the United States to develop a coordinated approach that will both advance our respective environmental and energy objectives and renew the North American economy." Last week, US Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer produced an outline climate bill.

-Alia McMullen,National Post- Canada needs to step up to the plate and show the United States that two can play the trade protectionist game, Nobel Prize-winning economist Jagdish Bhagwati says. However, others, including his renowned peer Paul Krugman, say trade protectionism is not a great threat and is actually remarkably low given the depth of the global financial crisis and recession. "The first thing we have to learn is not to throw the trade baby out with the financial bath water," said Mr.