LINKS Sept. 14, 2011

BORDER

Detroit bridge owner gets Koch help [Bloomberg]

More secure passports coming next year [CP]

US federal prosecutors discuss northern border issues [WSJ]

Holder: Officers from US, Canada will work on cross-border investigations [AP]

Harper, Obama to give details of border security deal [Postmedia News]

Much good has come from tightened border security [Peace Arch News]

TRADE/ECONOMY

Ottawa says it will fight Buy American measures [Toronto Star]

US envoy says trade with Canada is top issue [AP]

Canadians anxious about Buy American provisions in Obama’s jobs bill [CP]

Geithner: Economy in an early stage of crisis [Real Clear Politics]

Obama declares ‘national emergency’ for jobs [Politico]

Strong Cdn dollar not only reason for shopping in US [CBC]

Weak job market has Canadians looking north [Postmedia News]

US media juggernaut still a threat to Canada [Troy Media News]

Cdn doctors still make dramatically less than US counterparts: study [National Post]

DIPLOMACY

Doer says he won’t run for NDP leadership [Toronto Star]

MILITARY

Canada to extend Libya mission by 3 months [CTV]

Canadian companies will benefit from military intervention: Libyan official [Postmedia News]

NATO balks at Libya nation-building, policing [AP]

ENERGY

Oliver stumps for Keystone pipeline in California [CP]

Peter Lougheed opposes Keystone pipeline [CBC]

Yedlin: Lougheed comment sparks pipeline debate [Calgary Herald]

Oil patch steams ahead [Financial Post]

Tar-sands showdown [Wired]

10 reasons why the Keystone pipeline will be built [National Review]

Over 1,200 Keystone protesters arrested [Living on Earth]

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Twitter/luizachsavage

Category: Today's Links

LINKS Sept. 7, 2011

BORDER

Border agent says there’s nothing to do, money is being wasted [CNN]

Canada dropped $92-billion on security post-9/11 [Postmedia News]

Canadian trucker admits smuggling cocaine from US [AP]

Tragedy forged new reality [CP]

Schumer calls on Feds to move ahead with joint border crossing [newzjunky.com]

Hampson: 9/11 and the Remaking of Canada [iPolitics.ca]

Robertson: The border: The bygone days of ‘pass friend’ [Embassy mag]

After 9/11, border patrol doubles, fewer tourists cross border, more criminals caught [Detroit Free Press]

More Canadian manufacturers encountering difficulty as they try to cross into the US [NB Business Journal]

Georgia man stays in jail after border child porn bust [Winnipeg Sun]

TRADE/ECONOMY

Flaherty wants probe into ‘irritating’ US-Canada price gaps [Postmedia News]

How Canadians get access to US-only deals [Globe and Mail]

Is the US ready for Little Mosque on the Prairie [BBC]

Canadian dealers get ‘carve out’ from US regulations [Financial Post]

MILITARY

Lt. Gen. Bouchard assesses NATO’s mission in Libya [NPR]

Plan would keep small force in Iraq past deadline [NY Times]

ENERGY

Sen. Johannes, second prominent Nebraska Republican opposes Keystone pipeline [Des Moines Register]

Study: Tar sands oil will reach US sans pipeline [Forbes]

Oil sands need US workers: Alberta minister [Bloomberg]

Dalai Lama joins Keystone pipeline opponents [Calgary Sun]

McKibben: What comes next for oil sands action [grist.org]

Nobel Laureates urge Obama to reject pipeline [Huffington Post]

Canada minister ‘increasingly optimistic’ about Keystone approval [Dow Jones]

Cdn ambassador confident pipeline will be approved for jobs [Postmedia News]

Oil-funded study: more drilling would add 1.4 million jobs [Reuters]

Are Canadians growing apathetic about the oil sands? [Huffington Post]

Keystone XL benefactor to send oil overseas [Michigan Messenger]

Letter to Oprah Winfrey on ‘ethical oil’ ads [rabble.ca]

***

Twitter/luizachsavage

Category: Today's Links

Should Canadians be allowed to donate to US political campaigns?

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Politico has a story about an interesting court case being heard today in which a group of Canadians are challenging a ban on foreign contributions to US political campaigns: The FEC’s lawyers, for instance, predicted in a filing defending the contribution ban, that its reversal “could open the door to millions — or even billions...

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Flaherty urges US to cut debt, says Canada headed to surplus

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Canadian media coverage of the story focused on Flaherty’s comments urging the US to cut its public debt, while US coverage highlighted his statement that Canada is headed toward a surplus: Canada headed for budget surplus in 3-4 years: Flaherty Flaherty says majority to keep Canada on deficit-cutting track   From Flaherty...

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Finance Min. Flaherty in Washington

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From the press release: “Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty will participate in the 41st Washington Conference on the Americas, on Wednesday, May 11, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. The event will take place at the U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, in Washington, D.C. A media availability will follow.”   More info on the Conference of the...

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Fraser Institute: What Congress thinks of Canada

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The Fraser Institute, a Canadian think tank, has come out with a new report analyzing congressional attitudes toward Canada: What Congress Thinks of Canada by Alexander Moens and Nachum Gabler. They find “five important trends”: 1. American lawmakers are critical and negative about trade issues dealing with Canada. 2. American legislators are most critical about...

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Obama phone call with Harper

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From the White House: Earlier today, President Obama called Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada to congratulate him on his victory in yesterday’s national elections.  The President said he looked forward to continuing his close cooperation with the Prime Minister, and renewed his commitment to the Beyond the Border declaration he and Prime Minister Harper...

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US Senate hearing on Afghanistan: define success?

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A hearing at the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is underway now. Senator Richard Lugar just called on the Obama administration to define “success” and to make clear what kind of “imperfections” will be tolerated. Live streaming here.

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Latest proposals on perimeter security, regulation harmonization

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My piece in the current issue of Maclean’s magazine looks at where things stand on the border security and regulatory harmonization processes launched by Stephen Harper and Barack Obama earlier this year. The consultations have been closed-door in Canada but the US Department of Commerce has made public some of the proposals they have...

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Cable: US & Canada discussed oil sands PR strategy

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For all the fretting in the oil patch about what Obama thinks of the oil sands and whether the State Dept. will block the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to Texas, a diplomatic cable released today by WikiLeaks indicates that behind closed doors the Obama administration has sent a reassuring message...

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WikiLeaks cable: border not ‘thickening’

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In a 2007 US Embassy cable released today by WikiLeaks, entitled “Canada border in 2007: Ground Truth and policy Implications,” US diplomats suggest that oft-repeated Canadian concerns about post-9/11  ”thickening of the border” are overblown: “In general we found a disconnect between the rhetoric of a “thickening of the border,” in which longer lines and...

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WikiLeaks: Harper’s Christmas Wish List

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Nice to know diplomats have a sense of humour: From a December 2008 US Embassy Cable: Stephen Harper’s Christmas Wish List: 1. (SBU) As Santa Claus prepares to leave his North Pole (Canada) base to deliver presents around the world (with NORAD dutifully tracking his progress), Prime Minister Stephen Harper may be offering up...

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Prentice told US he would regulate oil sands

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Excerpt from a November 2009  US embassy cable describing a meeting between US Ambassador and then-Environment minister Jim Prentice: “Calling himself “conservationist-minded”, Prentice said he would step in and regulate the sands if Canada’s image in the world gets further tarnished by negative coverage. Although he never mentioned Natural Resources Minister Raitt by name...

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WikiLeaks releases thousands of Canada cables

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Here is the WikiLeaks index to the Canada release.      

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Watching Canadian election returns in DC

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Connect2Canada is organizing an election-watching event here in Washington, DC: Canada’s Federal Election Night in DC Join fellow C2C members in watching coverage of the 41st Canadian General Election. Food and drink specials offered by Elephant & Castle. Date: Monday, May 2, 2011 Starting time: 7:00pm; Results from 9:30pm Location: Elephant & Castle 1201 Pennsylvania...

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WikiLeaked: US frustration with Canadian inaction on copyright

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  WikiLeaks has released a  2008 cable explaining why the US Embassy “remains frustrated by the Government of Canada’s continuing failure to introduce – let alone pass – major copyright reform legislation.” The accounts of meetings and conversations with Canadian officials, cabinet ministers and opposition MPs shed interesting light on what diplomats do all...

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Pembina: How to green the oil sands

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The Pembina Institute, an Alberta environmental think tank that also maintains a plugged-in  Washington, DC presence, has come out with  a set of recommendations for improving the environmental impact of oil sands development. They describe it as a 19-point plan that “identifies policies required to protect the environment and restore Alberta’s international reputation.”   The report is...

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Why Obama hasn’t intervened on Keystone XL

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The bottom line is, Obama can’t be seen to be pre-judging a process legislated by Congress. If there are doubts about the integrity of the review process, the final decision could end up in the courts, postponing a final outcome even longer. From my story in the previous print issue of Maclean’s , now...

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TransCanada: still reading State Dept. report

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A spokesman for TransCanada, Shawn Howard, told me this afternoon the company will take more time to read the lengthy Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement before issuing a comment. “They have been working with 10 other government agencies to get their input. Give the size of the document and given the specific technical issues they...

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State Dept. issues new environmental report on Keystone XL: “no new issues of substance”

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The US State Department has taken an important step in the permit process for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would ship oil from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. Today’s release of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement moves the process closer to a final decision. This is the second environmental impact statement. The...

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Canada, Canadian, USA, US, U.S., United States, Luiza Savage, Luiza Ch. Savage, Bilateral, Bilateralist, NAFTA, NORAD, border, trade, Ottawa, Washington, oil sands, tar sands, Harper, Obama, Maclean's, Gary Mar, Gary Doer, David Jacobson, Canadian Embassy, perimeter security, North American Union, Keystone XL, diplomacy, foreign policy, northern border, Canadian border, cross-border, Candice Miller, Chris Sands