The North American Competitiveness Council provided a report on April 22 at the North American Leaders Summit in New Orleans. The report argues that government and business leaders must work harder to broaden public understanding of the benefits that flow from liberalized trade and investment within North America.

While at a New Orleans summit, leaders of Mexico, Canada, and the United States responded to recent criticism of NAFTA by lauding the trade deal. They also touched on immigration and border security. 

In an op-ed for the Washington Times, Shankar Singham—a partner with global law firm and COA member Squire Sanders & Dempsey, L.L.P. —warns against anti-free trade rhetoric utilized in current U.S. presidential campaigns. "Those political candidates who have hidden behind trade as the primary reason for economic anxiety are hiding voters from the truth of the new global economy," writes Singham.

The North American Free Trade Agreement as been battered lately with sharp criticisms and calls has been made to withdrawal from it. In an op-ed, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez argues that this would be a disaster, hurting the U.S. economy, its workers, and its communities.

Canadian and Mexican observers pay close attention to the hotly contested race for the White House, particularly as Democrats step up attacks on NAFTA.

January 1 marked an end to all tariffs on agricultural goods—including corn and sugar—traded between the U.S. and Mexico. But NAFTA could hit roadblocks in 2008: Mexican truckers face barriers to accessing U.S. roads and presidential campaigns have taken protectionist tones.

In an exclusive interview featured in the new issue of Americas Quarterly, Prime Minister Steven Harper emphasized Canada's renewed commitment to Latin American affairs, signaled by his July trip to Colombia, Chile, Barbados, and Haiti. AQ officially released its new issue, focused on crime and security in the Americas, on November 2.