Mulroney Heaps Praise on Harper's Pursuit of Latin American Free Trade Deals

(Mike Blanchfield — The Canadian Press)

Former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney gave a rare thumbs-up to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Monday night, lauding his aggressive pursuit of free trade in Latin America.

“This is how you create jobs,” Mulroney told a gathering of current and former diplomats and politicians at a speech celebrating the 20th anniversary of Canada’s entry into the Organization of American States.

“This demonstrates to how Canadian interests can be served more efficiently by enlightened foreign policy.”

Mulroney heaped praise on Harper’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, and Peter Kent, the portfolio’s junior minister responsible for Latin America.

Canada’s trade with Latin America, Mexico and the Caribbean has grown seven times to $46 billion since the late 1980s, said Mulroney. Read more here.