A lot of goodwill flows between America and Canada, the Minnesota International Center's 2013 focus country. A lot of goods do, too, with most of them measurable in tons or barrels or other familiar metrics. It's harder, however, to gauge the exchange of culture."How do you describe the structure of quicksand? Culture is always moving and not easily described or captured in one glimpse."

Canada and Israel took another step forward to strengthen bilateral relations by signing an agreement to jointly foster economic and social development in the developing world. The pact was signed last week in Ottawa by Margaret Biggs, the president of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and Daniel Carmon, director of Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (Mashav).

When you turn diplomatic missions into something resembling Fort Apache, and when diplomatic practice is limited by inordinate restrictions arising from concerns about personal safety, the establishment of vital local connections, and of relationships based on confidence, trust and respect, is next to impossible.

“This is a key point for digital diplomacy – the importance of reaching a broader audience, not just the same old people who usually follow foreign affairs.” As such, top diplomats are increasingly holding live, virtual chats on social networks to engage with people whom they would otherwise never meet.

The Canadian foreign minister and the British foreign secretary recently announced that certain embassies of our two countries will in future share locations and facilities, though not diplomats or policies. That’s an obvious and sensible cost-cutting idea, despite the misgivings of the Canadian government’s critics.

Canada and the United Kingdom have agreed to work together on 10 areas when it comes to sharing diplomatic missions abroad, according to a copy of the controversial memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries and obtained by Postmedia News on Monday.

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague is in Ottawa to announce an agreement between the two countries that Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says will start with embassies in Haiti and Burma, and will allow civil servants to consider doing so in more countries as the need arises.