A New Future for North America

President Biden’s first bilateral meeting with a foreign leader was with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a sign of the importance the Biden administration places on regional relations. One of President Biden's first domestic policy actions related to addressing the status of undocumented persons in the United States, including working with Mexico to reduce the drivers of Central American migration - a key concern of the López Obrador administration as well. To assess whether these steps portend a return to more active North American collaboration, the Wilson Center is honored to welcome distinguished representatives from the U.S., Canadian and Mexican governments to discuss the future of North America and regional cooperation on important issues such as pandemic response, border management and region migration.

Join us on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 for expert analysis from all three countries as we launch our North America 2.0 project, in which the Wilson Center and partner organizations throughout the region will be releasing policy recommendations and analysis on North American cooperation throughout the first half of 2020.

1:30pm - 2:30pm | Policymaker Dialogue on the Future of North America

Speakers

• Julie Chung | Acting A/S, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
• Roberto Velasco | Chargé d’Affairs, Office of the Deputy Secretary for North America
• Michael Grant | Assistant Deputy Minister, Americas, Global Affairs Canada
• Moderator: Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne | Former Ambassador to Mexico, Public Policy Fellow, Wilson Center

2:30pm - 3:15pm | Panel Discussion: A Strategy for Strengthening North America

Speakers

• Abraham Lowenthal | Professor Emeritus of International Relations, University of Southern California
• Sergio Alcocer | President, Mexican Council of Foreign Affairs (COMEXI)
• William Crosbie | Former Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan; Former Director General, North America Bureau
• Moderator: Andrew I. Rudman | Director, Mexico Institute

3:15pm - 4:00pm | Introduction to North America 2.0 Project

Speakers

• Christopher Wilson | Global Fellow, Mexico Institute
• Juliette Kayyem | Faculty Director of Homeland Security Project, Belfer Senior Lecturer in International Security, Harvard Kennedy School
• Enrique Berruga | General Executive Director, Aspen Institute Mexico
• Meredith Lilly | Associate Professor and Associate Director, MA program, Carleton University
• Moderator: Duncan Wood | Vice President of Strategy and New Initiatives; Senior Advisor, Mexico Institute