{"id":89085,"date":"2017-02-12T18:49:58","date_gmt":"2017-02-12T23:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=89085"},"modified":"2017-02-12T18:49:58","modified_gmt":"2017-02-12T23:49:58","slug":"conservatives-pause-hostilities-with-liberals-on-eve-of-trump-trudeau-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/02\/12\/conservatives-pause-hostilities-with-liberals-on-eve-of-trump-trudeau-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservatives pause hostilities with Liberals on eve of Trump, Trudeau meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The past, present and potential future of the federal Conservative party offered their Liberal rivals an unprecedented show of solidarity Sunday on the eve of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.. (Photo: Justin Trudeau\/Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

OTTAWA \u2013The past, present and potential future of the federal Conservative party offered their Liberal rivals an unprecedented show of solidarity Sunday on the eve of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

The olive branch, a departure from the usual cut and thrust of party politics, reflects a shared understanding that crosses the traditional partisan divide: that Canadian jobs depend on a strong relationship with the U.S. regardless of who might be residing in the White House.<\/p>\n

Recalling one of the tightest relationships between a prime minister and an unpopular president, Derek Burney \u2013 a confidante of former Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney \u2013 called his former boss’s relationship with Ronald Reagan \u201cthe prime example of getting along with Americans,\u201d one that could prove useful for Trudeau on Monday.<\/p>\n

Burney served as chief of staff to and U.S. ambassador for Mulroney, who he said has had \u201ca number of discussions\u201d with Trudeau about Trump, the former prime minister’s longtime neighbour in Palm Beach, Fla.<\/p>\n

To those Conservatives who might question why he and Mulroney want to help Trudeau, Burney has a simple answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis relationship is above partisanship. It’s in the national interest,\u201d he said in an interview Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have some experience that we think is relevant and so we’re happy to make use of it, if the government wants it. I see that as being Canadian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burney applauded the letter interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose sent Sunday to Trudeau calling for bipartisan efforts in building a relationship with the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Ambrose offered the services of several Tory caucus members, including former trade minister Ed Fast and former agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, both of whom had extensive stateside experience while in government and forged strong contacts with American lawmakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am sure that we can agree that as leaders of our respective parties, our No. 1 priority is to create Canadian jobs,\u201d Ambrose wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we move forward, the official Opposition is committed to playing a constructive role because our constituents are counting on us to keep our economy moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trudeau’s spokeswoman Kate Purchase said the government welcomed Ambrose’s letter, and that he \u201clooks forward to working with all parties and all Canadians to build on our profound shared economic interests.\u201d She said Ambrose also had a \u201cproductive conversation\u201d in Washington last month with Canadian ambassador David MacNaughton.<\/p>\n

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has written to Ambrose and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair to seek their collaboration, said Purchase.<\/p>\n

Freeland, along with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, Transport Minister Marc Garneau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau will be in Washington with Trudeau on Monday.<\/p>\n

Ambrose’s gesture marked a break from the normally raucous confrontations between the Liberals and Conservatives.<\/p>\n

This past week, Ambrose savaged the government for agreeing to provide $372.5 million to Montreal aerospace firm Bombardier. If that’s any indication of how the government plans renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, a key Trump priority, \u201cwe are screwed,\u201d she jeered.<\/p>\n

Even Conservative party leadership hopeful and \u201cShark Tank\u201d reality-TV star Kevin O’Leary declined a U.S. TV interviewer’s invitation Sunday to take an easy bite out of Trudeau.<\/p>\n

Asked on MSNBC whether Trudeau’s recent Twitter posting defending Canada’s acceptance of Syrian refugees was \u201ccomplete in-your-face policy interference\u201d with Trump’s now-failed executive order banning people from seven mainly Muslim countries, O’Leary demurred.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s making a statement that all Canadians believe,\u201d he said. \u201cI myself am the son of a Lebanese and Irish immigrant. So if there was a wall around Canada, I wouldn’t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

O’Leary parroted the talking points that Trudeau and his cabinet have been repeatedly reciting \u2013 actually, he inflated them slightly \u2013 that 9.5 million American jobs depend on Canada and 38 U.S. states have Canada as their top customer. (The Liberals have been saying it is nine million jobs and 35 states)<\/p>\n

Canadian prime ministers have no more important responsibility than to maintain strong economic relations with the United States, no matter how unpalatable the president, said Ian Lee, a professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University in Ottawa.<\/p>\n

It would be \u201cchildish and juvenile and irresponsible\u201d for anyone to think Trudeau’s job is to go to Washington to preach Canadian values to Trump, Lee said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a profound misunderstanding of history, a profound misunderstanding of the role of the prime minister of Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new NAFTA, a possible import tax and \u201cBuy American\u201d protectionism are all on the table for Trump, all of which would be catastrophic for Canada, Lee added, so Trudeau must make sure Canada is exempted.<\/p>\n

David Wilkins, a former U.S. ambassador who served under George W. Bush, another unpopular-in-Canada president, said Trudeau and his cabinet served Canada well by avoiding the temptation to \u201cjump into the fray\u201d and criticize Trump during and after the fractious presidential election.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelationships matter and it’s important to be respectful to each other and develop a good strong, personal relationship,\u201d said Wilkins, who initially supported Bush’s brother, Jeb, for president before Trump prevailed.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing into this meeting, the objective is to make a good relationship even better, make a great trading relationship even stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burney said beyond any shared economic imperatives, Trump and Trudeau could potentially build on a couple of other similarities: both were underdogs in their respective election campaigns, and both have become savvy users of social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Trump, as a guy who’s ratings conscious, popularity conscious, he’s going to be aware that there’s something there, and that can’t hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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