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Free-trade father figure Mulroney urges Ottawa to make a deal on NAFTA
Brian Mulroney says Canada needs to put a little more water in its milk if it expects to make a new NAFTA deal with a hardbargaining U.S. president whose political fortunes depend heavily on being able to declare victory for American dairy farmers. Mulroney, the former prime minister widely considered the father of the modern era of North American free trade, held court Tuesday in Ottawa on the fate of the intercontinental trade pact as talks to modernize NAFTA resumed on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Mulroney said Justin Trudeau phoned him last weekend to discuss the NAFTA situation and the two spoke for an hour. Overall, he said, he believes Canada is handling the talks well. But he had a clear message for the prime minister: if the federal Liberal government wants to make a deal, it better start dealing - particularly on the issue of access to Canadian markets for U.S. dairy producers, a critical issue for U.S. President Donald Trump. “There is not going to be a deal - period - unless there is a compromise in that area because that is what he campaigned on and it’s stuck to him and he’s stuck with it,” Mulroney said. “So if we don’t find some way to accommodate some of that, then we’re not going to have a deal.” Trudeau has been signalling in recent days that Canada might be prepared to show some flexibility there. “There’s a range of things we’ve been firm on and will continue to be firm on, but there’s also things we’re looking to be flexible on because it’s time to update this deal after 25 years,” he said in an interview with Winnipeg radio station CJOB. “We’re just going to stay working constructively to get to that win, win, win that we know is there.” Mulroney acknowledged U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is on a short leash from the White House when it comes to what he can offer in the talks, but noted that Trump trusts Lighthizer a lot. “If Ambassador Lighthizer goes to the president in the Oval Office and says, ‘Mr. President, I recommend we accept this deal with Canada; it’s not perfect, but it’s a good deal,’ then I think he takes it,”’ Mulroney said. “He has great confidence and trust in Lighthizer. That I know for sure, right from the horse’s mouth.”