Brian Mulroney says that Donald Trump鈥檚 proposal to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement would push more Mexican migrants into the United States at a time when the potential U.S. president is determined to keep them out.
The former Progressive Conservative prime minister told CTV鈥檚 Question Period that Trump has 鈥渢apped into a well of unhappiness in the United States which surrounds illegal immigration.鈥�
鈥淏ut the way you deal with that is,鈥� he said, 鈥渋s to enforce your laws of course, but also to ensure that more wealth is created south of the border.鈥�
鈥淭hat keeps young Mexicans at home -- they don鈥檛 want to go to the United States in that case.鈥�
Mulroney said that鈥檚 already happening, and he credits NAFTA, which he said has created 鈥渕illions and millions鈥� of jobs across the three-nation bloc since he signed it in 1992.
鈥淚ronically, at this particular time in history, there are more young Mexicans staying at home than coming into the United States,鈥� he added.
Indeed, that between 2008 and 2014 about 870,000 Mexicans legally moved to the U.S., while about 1 million Mexicans returned to Mexico. That鈥檚 compared to nearly three million Mexicans migrating to the U.S. between 1995 and 2000, when only about 670,000 returned.
In terms of unauthorized or illegal immigrants from Mexico, Pew estimates the total number in the U.S. fell by about one million from around 6.6 million in 2007 to about 5.6 million in 2014.
The former prime minister told Question Period that although Trump鈥檚 anti-immigrant rhetoric 鈥渃arried him through the Republican primaries, he doesn鈥檛 think 鈥渟omething that negative carries you through to the White House.鈥�
Democrat Hillary Clinton has also talked tough about free trade -- as did President Barack Obama, who later went on to propose expanded free trade through the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Mulroney said he 鈥渃an鈥檛 conceive of a situation whereby Mr. Trump or Mrs. Clinton or anybody else could get away with (ripping up NAFTA),鈥� adding 鈥淐ongress or the American people wouldn鈥檛 allow it.鈥�
Mulroney seemed more concerned in June, when that Trump鈥檚 economic proposals would push the United States into a 鈥渄epression very, very quickly.鈥�
Mulroney added that he thinks Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should move 鈥渁s quickly as he can鈥� on a free trade agreement with China.
Canada and China agreed earlier this week to a on a possible free trade deal, according to the Chinese premier.
A recent survey conducted for the found that an equal number of those polled 鈥� 46 per cent -- support and oppose a free trade agreement with China.
