Doing the Continental: A New Canadian-American Relationship

When President Barack Obama sat at his desk in the Oval Office for the first time in January 2009, one of the farthest things from his mind was Canada. On Capitol Hill the whirling pursuit of interests was intense. In Ottawa, Canada's senior officials were too preoccupied to appreciate that the nation's neighbours to the south weren't paying attention to the affairs and concerns of the Great White North.

Canada's relations with the United States are broad and deep, and with Obama in the White House, the two countries are about to enter what could be a new era of hope and renewal. From water and energy policy to defence, environmental strategy, and Arctic sovereignty, David Dyment provides an astute, pithy analysis of the past, present, and future continental dance between two countries that have much in common, yet often step on each other's feet.

David Dyment teaches political science at the University of Ottawa and at Carleton University, where he is senior research associate in the Centre on North American Politics and Society. He has served on the staff of the governor general of Canada and was a senior policy adviser in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. As a media commentator, he has been heard on CTV, CBC Television and Radio, Radio-Canada(in French), and BBC. He received his doctorate, from the University de MontrTal.