Hemisphere Highlights, Volume VII, Issue 7 - July 2008

The government of Canada encourages Quebec's negotiation of a unilateral labor-mobility deal with France and indicates its willingness to give the provinces greater autonomy in economic affairs. Mexico hosts the 17th International AIDS Conference. New reforms to the PetroCaribe fossil fuel supply program are announced in response to the rising food crisis in Central America and the Caribbean. Raúl Castro delivers his annual Revolution Day address without announcing any new economic reforms for Cuba. Michele Pierre-Louis is confirmed as Haiti's new prime minister. Venezuela struggles to finalize the candidates for the November 23 gubernatorial and mayoral elections. The European Union offers a tariff break to Brazil on sugarcane ethanol, which is rejected due to disagreement over quotas. Bolivia prepares for an August 10 national recall election that will decide the tenures of the president, vice president, and nine departmental governors. Three military figures are indicted in Chile for the last murders committed under the Pinochet regime. Argentina's proposed farm bill to increase agricultural export duties is rejected by Congress, resulting in the resignation of two government officials with more expected to follow.