Crossing borders in North America has become increasingly difficult in recent years, despite the promises of NAFTA and the Security and Prosperity Partnership. On March 1, 2010 Mexico furthered these restrictions by increasing its entry requirements on Canadians and Americans.  Citizens from either of these countries will now have to present their passports when entering Mexico for periods longer than 72 hours.

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.

Murray Brewster, Canadian Press Canada's Chief of Defence Staff met quietly with his Danish counterpart to strengthen military co-operation in the Arctic just days after the Conservative government mounted a solo display of military prowess in the Far North. The unannounced discussions between General Walter Natynczyk and Admiral Tim Sloth Jorgensen took place over several days last week, and were only made public in a Danish news release. Read the full story From: NewsCan: For August 28 to September 3, 2009

Coinciding with Prime Minister Harper’s visit to the Arctic the Institute for Research on Public Policy has released the concluding chapter, “The New Northern Policy Universe,” from its pathbreaking book, Northern Exposure: Peoples, Powers and Prospects in Canada’s North.

Observing its recent release of Canada’s official Northern Strategy and Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s even more topical visits to the region, it seems as if the Canadian Government is focused on addressing the amalgamation of issues that comprise the Arctic policy dialogue. For Canada, questions of sovereignty, natural resources, climate change and development encapsulate the North, as a portion of the country sometimes previously treated as peripheral to Canadian interests, is increasingly a centre point of international interest.

Bill Curry, The Globe and Mail From highways to harbours to housing, Stephen Harper insists his government's focus on the North goes far beyond the elaborate military operation now under way to assert Canada's Arctic sovereignty. The Prime Minister made a series of announcements yesterday—first in the Nunavut fishing village of Pangnirtung, and later in Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories—aimed at highlighting what he said is an unprecedented level of federal spending in northern communities. Read the full story From: NewsCan: For August 21 to August 27, 2009

David Akin, Canwest News Service Prime Minister Stephen Harper was at the centre Wednesday of a display of Canada's military capabilities in the North that seemed designed as much to awe his political opponents in Canada as to impress other Arctic powers who are contesting some of Canada's claims to undersea oil and gas resources. Read the full story From: NewsCan: For August 14 to August 20, 2009