Former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney says the looming presidency of his long-time friend Donald Trump could be good news for Canada, despite Trump鈥檚 plans to scrap NAFTA, one of Mulroney鈥檚 biggest political achievements.
In a wide-ranging interview with CTV鈥檚 Power Play, Mulroney touched on the uncertain future of NAFTA, his take on the Liberals鈥� recent pipeline decision and why he personally thinks the president-elect -- his billionaire neighbour in Palm Beach, Fla. -- is a 鈥渧ery nice guy.鈥�
鈥淒onald Trump, I think, wants to be known as a great president, and that鈥檚 entirely up to him. And one of the ways he can do it is by co-operating with a great ally like Canada -- and I think that鈥檚 going to happen,鈥� Mulroney said in an interview on Tuesday.
Recent polling has suggested that , a critical trade agreement that Trump has repeatedly vowed to tear up once in the White House. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he鈥檚 鈥渉appy to talk鈥� about NAFTA with Trump.
Mulroney, who negotiated both the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement, agrees that it鈥檚 time to go back to the drawing board.
鈥淟ook, I think that when Donald was talking about NAFTA during the campaign, he was really talking about Mexico, essentially. Now, can NAFTA be refurbished and refreshed after 25 years? Of course. There are areas. Look, when I did the free trade agreement with Ronald Reagan and NAFTA with George Bush, there was no Internet. Some of the great things we have now weren鈥檛 even invented,鈥� he said.
鈥淏ut I think (Trump was) talking about Mexico, when he talked about the rapists and the murderers. And the problem is immigration south of the border.鈥�
Trumpism in Canada?
Trump鈥檚 brash style of politics has often been compared to Ronald Reagan, a president with whom Mulroney worked closely alongside. Mulroney said he sees some similarities.
鈥淩eagan was entirely different, but they have much in common. Both of them wanted to be transformational leaders. And they both knew that if they were going to do that, they had to do big things -- not small, incremental stuff. They had to do big things. And Reagan did. And I know that Trump feels the same way. So there鈥檚 a possibility that he surprises an awful lot of people again and gets going on some major initiatives. And I think that he does that with Canada as an ally and as a supporter and friend, and nothing else.鈥�
Canada has seen glimmers of Trump-style politics since the U.S. election in November. Last weekend, attendees at an Alberta rally when Conservative leadership hopeful Chris Alexander spoke about Premier Rachel Notley. Kellie Leitch, another Conservative leadership candidate, has for her proposal to screen immigrants for so-called 鈥渁nti-Canadian values.鈥�
Asked if Trump-style rhetoric could infiltrate Canadian politics, Mulroney said 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not going to fly here.鈥�
鈥淲e have a different structure, we have a different personality, we have different approaches. But you know, (U.S. politician) Mario Cuomo used to say that you campaign in poetry but you govern in prose. And Donald is going to realize he鈥檚 just like all the rest of us -- that once you get down to the serious business of governing, the big rallies and all the fun of campaigning, that doesn鈥檛 apply anymore. You鈥檝e got to deliver on your promises for the people.鈥�
Mulroney: Trump 鈥榓 very nice guy鈥�
Mulroney said he recently spoke with Trump over the phone after the president-elect phoned him. The pair have known each other for more than 20 years and both own properties in the same upscale Florida neighbourhood.
鈥淗e lives down the street from me in Palm Beach. The difference you might note is you can take my house and put it in his kitchen -- and there鈥檇 be lots of room for all family and friends,鈥� Mulroney said.
Based on that personal relationship, Mulroney said he has a positive impression of Trump.
鈥淚鈥檝e always found that he was a very nice guy, always treated us in a very nice way. Look, any guy that can make 10 billion dollars and raises five beautiful children -- none of whom smoke, drink or take drugs and are wonderful, classy young people -- anybody who can do that has got something good going for them.鈥�
Trudeau recently approved two major pipeline projects: Kinder Morgan鈥檚 Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C. and Enbridge鈥檚 Line 3 pipeline expansion from Alberta to Wisconsin.
Asked if the decision shows that Trudeau is balancing the economy with the environment, Mulroney said the answer 鈥渞equires a question.鈥�
鈥淲hat do you think that the other 200 countries in the world would do if they had 174 billion barrels of oil in the ground? What do you think they鈥檇 do? Get a pipeline as fast they could. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e doing, and that鈥檚 what we should do,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 think once you make a reasonable understanding with the aboriginals and the environmentalists, everybody is going to profit from this tremendous wealth -- and we鈥檙e going to be a better country.鈥�
