Former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney said his Liberal successor Justin Trudeau has handled his responsibilities well, but he did not speak about Tory leader Pierre Poilievre. .“This is far from the trivia and the trash and the rumours of Parliament Hill,” said Mulroney in a Monday speech to the Atlantic Economic Forum (AEF) in Antigonish, NS. .“Let me deal with some of the items, pardon me, that our guest speaker has had to deal with in his time in office.” .Mulroney said the COVID-19 pandemic was the greatest challenge any Canadian prime minister has ever had to deal with. He added Trudeau and Canada’s premiers were among the best world leaders for managing the pandemic. .The former prime minister praised him for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with former US president Donald Trump. While he set up free trade deals with former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush, he said there is “one hell of a difference between those two gentlemen and negotiating with our friend president Trump.” .He alleged Trump was out to sabotage Canada with the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA). He saw the end result of negotiations, and it was a significant victory for Canada because of Trudeau’s leadership. .If USMCA did not exist, he said millions of jobs and prosperity would be in jeopardy. In spite of Trump’s opposition, Trudeau and his colleagues were able to work with him. .Mulroney said the Canadian government had an obligation to intervene in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His government was the first in the western world to recognize Ukraine’s independence. .He acknowledged the prime minister stepped up. Canada is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and it met its obligations for this group. .Trudeau met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and agreed to support his new initiatives. Mulroney said most important was freedom from Russian tyranny, which is what has to take place. .Trump said he does not care who wins. Mulroney denounced him for not caring, saying Ukraine has to win. .At the AEF, he said people should be looking around the corner of history and see how they can advance Atlantic Canada. This is not as Conservatives, Liberals, or New Democrats but as Atlantic Canadians. .Mulroney concluded by saying great nations such as Canada need visions and great beings. He said the objective of the AEF is “to remind us all of the magnificence of Canada and what we can achieve together if we remember the vision and dream of our forefathers who built this country and now count on us to carry it forward from generation to generation, from success to success, from one century to the next.” .“That’s what we’re here, and that’s, with the prime minister’s assistance, what we’re going to do,” he said. .Trudeau responded by saying Mulroney’s insights are invaluable and always welcome. .“Glad we could spend some time together, in an office that felt awfully familiar to both of us, before the Atlantic Economic Forum got underway,” he said. .A poll conducted by Postmedia-Leger in July suggested support for Trudeau in Canada was plummeting. .READ MORE: Poll says support for Trudeau is plummeting.The poll found 55% of Canadians strongly or somewhat disapprove of his performance as prime minister..At the time, he was heading into a summer of high inflation, with Canadians struggling to fill their gas tanks and put food on the table.
Former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney said his Liberal successor Justin Trudeau has handled his responsibilities well, but he did not speak about Tory leader Pierre Poilievre. .“This is far from the trivia and the trash and the rumours of Parliament Hill,” said Mulroney in a Monday speech to the Atlantic Economic Forum (AEF) in Antigonish, NS. .“Let me deal with some of the items, pardon me, that our guest speaker has had to deal with in his time in office.” .Mulroney said the COVID-19 pandemic was the greatest challenge any Canadian prime minister has ever had to deal with. He added Trudeau and Canada’s premiers were among the best world leaders for managing the pandemic. .The former prime minister praised him for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with former US president Donald Trump. While he set up free trade deals with former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush, he said there is “one hell of a difference between those two gentlemen and negotiating with our friend president Trump.” .He alleged Trump was out to sabotage Canada with the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA). He saw the end result of negotiations, and it was a significant victory for Canada because of Trudeau’s leadership. .If USMCA did not exist, he said millions of jobs and prosperity would be in jeopardy. In spite of Trump’s opposition, Trudeau and his colleagues were able to work with him. .Mulroney said the Canadian government had an obligation to intervene in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His government was the first in the western world to recognize Ukraine’s independence. .He acknowledged the prime minister stepped up. Canada is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and it met its obligations for this group. .Trudeau met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and agreed to support his new initiatives. Mulroney said most important was freedom from Russian tyranny, which is what has to take place. .Trump said he does not care who wins. Mulroney denounced him for not caring, saying Ukraine has to win. .At the AEF, he said people should be looking around the corner of history and see how they can advance Atlantic Canada. This is not as Conservatives, Liberals, or New Democrats but as Atlantic Canadians. .Mulroney concluded by saying great nations such as Canada need visions and great beings. He said the objective of the AEF is “to remind us all of the magnificence of Canada and what we can achieve together if we remember the vision and dream of our forefathers who built this country and now count on us to carry it forward from generation to generation, from success to success, from one century to the next.” .“That’s what we’re here, and that’s, with the prime minister’s assistance, what we’re going to do,” he said. .Trudeau responded by saying Mulroney’s insights are invaluable and always welcome. .“Glad we could spend some time together, in an office that felt awfully familiar to both of us, before the Atlantic Economic Forum got underway,” he said. .A poll conducted by Postmedia-Leger in July suggested support for Trudeau in Canada was plummeting. .READ MORE: Poll says support for Trudeau is plummeting.The poll found 55% of Canadians strongly or somewhat disapprove of his performance as prime minister..At the time, he was heading into a summer of high inflation, with Canadians struggling to fill their gas tanks and put food on the table.
