Four things Trump has said about Canada

Canadians watched the U.S. election with almost as much interest and anxiety as Americans Wednesday night, and with good reason.

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote in a statement congratulating Trump, “Canada has no closer friend, partner and ally than the United States.”

For a hint at what the future could hold, the Star has assembled a partial list of remarks the president-elect has made about America’s neighbour:

During the Oct. 9, presidential debate, Trump called Canada’s healthcare system “catastrophic.”

“Canadians, when they need a big operation, when something happens, they come into the United States in many cases because their system is so slow.”

The claim turned out to be at least partially true — more than 45,000 Canadians sought non-emergency medical treatment outside the country in 2015.

While campaigning for the Republican Party nomination in January, Trump said he would oppose the Keystone XL pipeline unless the U.S. was guaranteed a “big, big chunk” of the profits.

In 2015, after Trudeau’s promise of a gender-equal cabinet garnered praise around the world, Trump said he “wouldn’t want” to make a similar pledge. “Because I will tell you: I want the best person at each position . . . I’m going to get the best people for the job,” he said.

Trump suggested then-Toronto mayor Rob Ford would be a better negotiator than U.S. President Barack Obama in a 2013 tweet.

“Who would you rather have negotiating with Iran . . . President Obama or Toronto Mayor Ford? “My money is on Ford,” Trump typed.