Mulroney praised by Liberals
OTTAWA (CP) — Prime Minister Trudeau and his cabinet praised former prime minister Brian Mulroney for giving them useful advice during a closed-door meeting Thursday on the upcoming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
It was part of an unprecedented display of non-partisan co-operation, a healing of old political wounds and unity in the name of managing a new, wildly unpredictable U.S. presidency.
There was also a hint of deja vu. A smiling Mulroney, who departed politics more than a quarter century ago, said it was “as if I never left” as he exited the hallway from the Centre Block’s cabinet room.
Trudeau was not at the meeting of his cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations; he was in New York City for a women’s leadership summit. His ministers, however, said Mulroney made a valuable contribution.
Trudeau told reporters he had found Mulroney “thoughtful and helpful” in connecting with the Trump administration.
“I think it’s really a credit to all Canadians that we’ve been so able to put aside partisanship on an issue that goes beyond political parties and goes to the fundamental success of our economy,” Trudeau said. “Working well with the United States is not a partisan issue; it’s one that we can all align on.”
Transport Minister Marc Garneau, who chairs the cabinet committee, said: “We welcomed Mr. Mulroney this morning and certainly we benefited from his insights.”
Mulroney’s government fought and won an election on the first Canada-U.S. free trade deal in 1988, which became the precursor of the current NAFTA deal when Mexico was brought on board.
The 79-year-old former prime minister, a personal friend of Donald Trump, has been helping Justin Trudeau’s government navigate the new U.S. administration, setting aside a bitter antipathy for his father, Pierre Trudeau, in the process.
He has repeatedly urged Canadian politicians to set aside domestic partisan interests to protect the country’s economic interests with the U.S., praising interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose for offering to work with the government.