Hemisphere Highlights, Volume IX, Issue 9 - November 2009

A backlog of immigrants seeking refugee status in Canada forced the Canadian government to announce new immigration reform. President Calderón dissolved the state-run electric company Luz y Fuerza, sparking political controversy in Mexico. Opposition groups in Nicaragua have mounted claims that President Ortega and the FSLN are using newly created businesses to gain economic power and control of the country. Rising crime rates in El Salvador influenced the legislature’s decision to approve President Funes’ strategic collaboration policy. Contrary to widespread opinion in Colombia, President Uribe is unlikely to run for a third term in 2010. Venezuela announced the discovery of valuable minerals that may help bolster the state’s economy. Chile went forward with its “Salitre 2009” military exercise despite Peruvian protests. Recent violence in Rio de Janeiro has prompted concern over the city’s ability to maintain security and infrastructure for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. In Argentina a polemic new media law has critics fretting about the future of freedom of expression.