Kim Richard Nossal, Meredith Denning, Daniel Macfarlane, and Noah Hall (Left to Right)

On January 23, the Graham Centre hosted a roundtable discussion on the first century of the International Joint Commission, the body that was created under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to manage and protect the shared waters of Canada and the United States. The event also marked the publication of The First Century of the International Joint Commission (University of Calgary Press), edited by Daniel Macfarlane and Murray Clamen.

Chaired by Daniel Macfarlane (Western Michigan University), the event featured lively talks by three contributors to the book: Meredith Denning (Georgetown University); Kim Richard Nossal (Queen’s University); and Noah Hall (Wayne State University).

Meredith Denning discussed the origins of the treaty and the commission, explaining why they took the forms they did and illuminating the various actors behind their creation. Kim Richard Nossal addressed one of the IJC’s few notable failures -- the Point Roberts Reference -- in order to throw light on the reasons for the commission’s general record of success. And Noah Hall explored the impact of the treaty and the commission on transboundary environmental law and governance, both within North America and globally.

This event was made possible by the support of Global Affairs Canada; the Consulate of the United States of America; and University of Calgary Press. An audio recording of the event is available above.