BILATERALIST

There is still time to register for Tuesday night’s big event at the Newseum in Washington, DC. If you can’t attend, the panel discussion will stream live on CPAC.org in Canada, and C-SPAN TV in the U.S. Register for complimentary tickets and post-show reception at the Newseum: http://www2.macleans.ca/in-conversation-with-macleans/

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From my interview in Maclean’s magazine: Gil Kerlikowske described the direction of U.S. marijuana policy, what he’d like to see Canada do to help fight prescription painkiller abuse, and his candid thoughts about Vancouver’s safe injection site. il Kerlikowske is U.S. President Obama’s director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy—more commonly known as the…

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From my interview in Maclean’s magazine: We talked about Keystone XL, the Middle East, and how President Obama’s swearing in compared to PM Stephen Harper’s:   Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird was in Washington this week to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama. As Americans gathered for the public ceremony and the black-tie galas,…

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From the White House press release: White House Releases Report on Beyond the Border and Regulatory Cooperation Council with Canada   WASHINGTON, DC – On December 7, 2011, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper of Canada met at the White House and announced two initiatives to ensure that the vital economic partnership that joins the United States and…

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I spent much of the summer and fall cover the U.S. presidential campaigns for Maclean’s magazine. I have collected some of the links here as a  mini-archive. * Long campaign narrative and election night cover story: How He Did It: The story of a tough, dramatic election campaign that nearly tore America apart   *…

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After the U.S. elections, I sat down with Gary Doer, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Q: Now that you have the results of the election, there is the “fiscal cliff” discussion. What can you do or what do you do as this unfolds? A: Canada has a deficit of 1.5 per cent of GDP in our…

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I interviewed Canada’s trade minister, Ed Fast, about Canada’s trade policy, China, and the turn to Asia, in Maclean’s: Q: But once the TPP is negotiated, is there anything special left between Canada and the U.S.? Will Canada become the same as any other country trading with the U.S.? A: It’s difficult to say. We…

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If you happen to be in Washington, DC this morning, I’ll be participating in what promises to be a very interesting panel discussion on views the U.S. election from countries in the Western Hemisphere. I’m looking forward to hearing the views from Colombia and Brazil. From the invitation: * Council of the Americas 1615 L St, NW…

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I was sad to learn of the passing of Peter Morton, a long-time Canadian journalist here in Washington, DC, who died on Oct. 31 from an a heart attack. Ipolitics.ca has an obituary that recounts his impressive journalistic career. I had met Peter years ago as a young reporter Toronto and later Ottawa-based reporter for…

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Guest column by financial journalist, Peter Morton.   WASHINGTON—The way Scotty Greenwood sees it, Canada and the U.S. has entered a new era of reciprocity—one that extends into the deepest of American traditions, the July 4th Independence Day celebrations. While Canadians are celebrating with American Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson in Ottawa, America will be…

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Jayson Myers, the head of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, was in Washington, DC today speaking about Canadian trade policy at the National Press Club. On the Trans-Pacific Partnership: “Canada has a clear defensive interest in TPP negotiations simply because we don’t want to see any NAFTA preference eroded by a trade agreement that does…

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This Thursday morning event looks very interesting: The Regulatory Cooperation Council Action Plan at Six Months July 26, 2012 // 10:00am — 11:30am There will be a live webcast of this event. The Wilson Center’s Canada Institute, Program on America and the Global Economy, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce present A Beyond the Border Initiative Discussion with Robert…

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From US Dept. of Justice press release: U.S. AND CANADA ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF THE BEYOND THE BORDER: STATEMENT OF PRIVACY PRINCIPLES   WASHINGTON—The United States and Canada today announced they are delivering on key commitments under the U.S.-Canada Beyond the Border Action Plan by releasing a joint Statement of Privacy Principles.  These principles reflect the…

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The following is a column by Derek Lothian of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters: Canada cannot tolerate new ‘Buy American’ amendment in Congress: CME The Government of Canada must take immediate action to derail a new Buy American amendment expected to be introduced later this week in the United States Congress, and work towards a…

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UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE www.ustr.gov               Washington, D.C. 20508          202-395-3230     For Immediate Release:                                             June 19, 2012                                                                                 U.S. Trade Representative Kirk Welcomes Canada as a New Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiating Partner   Washington, DC – President Obama announced today that the United States and the eight other countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership…

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From her press release: WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Candice Miller (MI-10), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, today made the following statement regarding the release of the Department of Homeland Security’s Northern Border Strategy.  The Northern Border Strategy is the first unified strategy to guide the Department’s policies and operations along the…

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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the release of the DHS Northern Border Strategy (NBS). The NBS is the first unified DHS strategy to guide the Department’s policies and operations along the U.S.-Canada border -  providing a framework for enhancing security and resiliency while expediting lawful travel and trade throughout the Northern border region. From…

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