Mexico’s Lower Chamber Passes Labor Reform
After much public and legislative wrangling, Mexico’s lower chamber opted to bring the country’s labor code into the twenty-first century. With 361 votes supporting the measure and 129 in opposition, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (Institutional Revolutionary Party—PRI), Partido Acción Nacional (National Action Party—PAN), Partido Verde Ecologista de México (Green Party—PVEM) and Partido Nueva Alianza (New … Read more
What the U.S. Election Tells Canada
The recent reelection of Barack Obama as President, the increase of Democrats in the Senate, and their slight gains in the House of Representatives has led analysts to talk about a changing America. While Obama is a highly popular political figure in Canada, it was somewhat surprising for many of us glued to our television … Read more
Monday Memo: Colombia, FARC in Cuba – Honduran Presidential Candidates – Canada Negotiates FTA with European Union – and more
Top stories this week are likely to include: Colombia-FARC peace negotiations move to Havana; 2013 presidential contest set in Honduras; Canadian trade minister in Brussels for free trade talks; and The Hague rules on the Nicaragua-Colombia maritime border dispute. Colombia-FARC Talks Resume: Representatives from the Colombian government arrived yesterday in Havana, Cuba, ahead of the … Read more
Yosoy132: perspectivas a futuro
El 1 de diciembre de 2012, Enrique Peña Nieto asumirá la presidencia de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. Ante eso, ¿cuál debe ser la reacción de Yosoy132? Los caminos a seguir son muchos y variados. El primero, y el más improbable de todos, sería la disolución del movimiento ante los hechos consumados. Esto se podría apoyar, … Read more
Following Historic Election, Suffolk County Leads the Way on Immigration Issues
In recent years, states and localities from Arizona and Alabama to Hazleton, Pennsylvania, have passed laws and ordinances to make immigrants’ lives unbearable—what some call “attrition through enforcement.” Suffolk County, NY (located in the central and eastern portion of Long Island) was until recently a paradigmatic case of such an approach. Only one week after … Read more
Harper’s Choice
Last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper interrupted his trip to India to offer President Barack Obama his congratulations on his reelection. In Canada, there had been talk that Conservative Prime Minister Harper may have preferred a more ideologically-similar partner like Mitt Romney to govern our closest political neighbor and ally and strongest commercial partner. But … Read more
Mexico’s New Oil Discoveries: Too Good to be True?
Mexico’s successful deep-water drilling of wells “Trion-1” (August 29) and “Supremus-1” (October 5) in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico has caused national euphoria. It has shown the country’s considerable oil potential and revamped public confidence in state-owned company Pemex (Petróleos Mexicanos), whose reputation had dwindled for the past years following a decrease in production, corruption … Read more
Mexico Reacts to Approval of Marijuana Ballot Measures
The Mexican government signaled this week that its approach to fighting drug trafficking in the region could change after voters in the U.S. states of Colorado and Washington decided to legalize the recreational use of marijuana on Tuesday. A top aide for Mexican President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto, who will take office in December, said Thursday … Read more
Latinos and Their Role in Tomorrow’s Presidential Election
Latino voters could make the difference Tuesday in a tight presidential race—especially in battleground states such as Colorado, Florida and Nevada, where the Latino population has grown exponentially. Latinos are now 16 percent of the U.S. population and account for a record 11 percent of the nation’s eligible electorate. This year, 23.7 million Latinos are eligible to vote—four … Read more
#Yosoy132: la cara más reciente de una larga tradición
Los movimientos estudiantiles en México no son nada nuevo. En 1912 una huelga estudiantil dio origen a la Escuela Libre de Derecho y en 1929 otra huelga de estudiantes consiguió la autonomía para la Universidad Nacional. Pero el gran momento llegó en 1968 cuando, enmarcado en un movimiento global de rebelión juvenil del cual muchos … Read more
Tom Mulcair’s Rendezvous With History
Canada has only had two political parties who have governed the country’s affairs and destiny—the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party. Just as in the United States, the two-party approach has served our democracy well. Unlike the U.S., however, our parliamentary system leaves more room for the establishment and the sustaining presence of a third … Read more
Calderón Inaugurates New Subway Line in Mexico City
Mexican President Felipe Calderón inaugurated line 12 of the Mexico City subway yesterday, which will incorporate 20 new stations and connect Tláhuac, a largely poor semirural area, to the city’s subway grid. According to Calderón, thanks to the new “golden line”, which commemorates 200 years of Mexican independence, Mexico’s transportation system can compete with the … Read more
Mexico’s Proposed Labor Reforms: The First Test for the New PRI
Mexico’s 62nd Congress had just been inaugurated on September 1 when legislators heard from President Felipe Calderón, who sent a labor bill to the Chamber of Deputies for consideration. Under a new fast-track authority, the executive branch can submit legislation to the lower chamber of the legislative branch, after which the lower and upper … Read more
Censorship in Mexico: The Case of Ruy Salgado
Most people outside of Mexico may have never heard of Ruy Salgado. But during the most recent electoral contest here, that name not only became known throughout Internet circles in Mexico, but was arguably one of the most influential voices of opposition in the country. Ruy Salgado, a pseudonym, has an online alias known as … Read more
Language Politics North of the Border
An enduring characteristic of Canadian politics in the last 50 years has been the question of language and how it plays out in the French speaking province of Québec. From the outset in 1867, Canada adopted a federal system of government at Québec’s behest, giving the constituent federated states defined constitutional jurisdictions. The Canadian Constitution … Read more
