Former Canadian Prime Minister calls on government to reduce reliance on the U.S. and promote export diversification

Former Canadian Prime Minister Advises Current Government to Keep Distance from the United States

Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently advised the Mark Carney government to reduce Canada's close relationship with the United States.

Harper, who once called himself the most pro-American prime minister in Canadian history, served as the prime minister of the Conservative government from 2006 to 2015. He stated that Canada must quickly diversify its export markets, especially in energy, critical minerals, and other strategic materials, to cope with the increasingly tough trade policies of US President Trump.

He said that after several months of Trump's threats, the long-standing alliance between Canada and the US could no longer be as it was before.

"We must never again put ourselves in a situation where we can be threatened without any means of retaliation," Harper said at the meeting. If someone had asked him a year ago how to deal with Trump's policies, his advice would have been "to deepen the partnership with the US in economic and security areas."

"But just a few weeks ago, when this government really came to consult me, my advice was exactly the opposite," he said.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839023313606281/

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