Canada Week 2012 is March 19 – 21. Be sure to mark your calendars to join us for the fun!
CANADA WEEK EVENTS
MONDAY March 19th, 10:00AM-1:15PM, BSU Students Union Building
Canadian Trivia Contest (with Canadian chocolate bars for all participants!)
MONDAY, MARCH 19th 6:00PM-7:30PM, BSU Barnwell Room of the SUB
Why Sovereignty? Why Quebec has Considered Leaving Canada and Where the Movement Stands Today
Dr. Guy Lachapelle, Professor, Political Science, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
In 1995, the province of Quebec held a referendum on whether to leave Canada and pursue sovereignty. The measure failed but the vote was extremely close — 50.6% voted to remain in Canada while 49.4% were in favor of sovereignty. Professor Lachapelle will address the growth of the sovereignty movement and where it stands today. In doing so he will illuminate for the audience what it means to be francophone in Canada.
TUESDAY MARCH 20th, 6:00PM-7:30PM, BSU Barnwell Room of the SUB
The Keystone XL Pipeline: The Issues Behind Bringing More Canadian Energy Down to the United States
Scott Farris, Director, Government Relations, TransCanada
Moderated by Dr. John Freemuth, Department of Political Science, Boise State University
The proposed Keystone XL Pipeline has become a hot political issue. One side argues it will bring much needed energy down from a friendly country and create jobs in the process, while the other side worries about the environmental impact of such a project and contests the benefits that are touted. Scott Farris has been at the forefront of this issue as TransCanada’s Director of Government Relations. He will address the company’s pipeline proposal, its advantages, its drawbacks and the issues that have arisen with it.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21st, 2:30-4:00PM Simplot B Room of the SUB
The New ‘Beyond the Border’ Agreement: Modernizing US-Canada Borders and What it Means for Americans
Dr. Geoffrey Hale, Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Lethbridge
President Obama and Prime Minister Harper signed an extensive bi-national border agreement in December 2011. With $1.6 billion in trade happening every day between Canada and the United States, the “Beyond the Border” agreement seeks to ease trade impediments and implement a more uniform regulatory environment between the two countries while dealing with post 9/11 security concerns. Professor Hale will address the content and importance of the Beyond the Border agreement, explaining what Americans should know and why the agreement is important to understand.