The influence Trump will have on the Western world.

0:00 Speaker 1 Sunday Morning with us is Stephen Hopper, the former Prime Minister of Canada on next door neighbor and one good friend, one smart guy, and he knows what the world is all about. Well, Prime Minister Harper, a former Prime Minister Harper, tell us what effect is the Trump presidency going to have on North America and also on the world.

0:28 Speaker 2 Well, thanks for the question, John, and thanks for having me. Let me just kind of address the second part of that question. This is as you as you and your listeners may know, I chair the Global Federation of Conservative Parties, which includes the Republican Party, so we’re obviously delighted to see its success in the recent elections. What effect will

0:50 Trump have on the world? You know, I’m I’m still of the view that probably the best indication of that is to look at the effect that had a life time. You know, there’s there’s all these allegations that President Trump is an isolationist withdraws America from the world, And don’t actually think that that bore out. It’s all last time.

1:16 What we did see was that President Trump puts less weight on traditional allies just because they quote share values, and he puts a lot more emphasis on whether other countries share actual interests and objectives with the US and the world, and whether they are prepared to align with the United States on the United States global objectives. We saw,

1:41 for example, in the Middle East, you know, the historic breakthrough with the Abraham Accords, countries that shared American interests in peace and security in that region encountering the Iranian threats. So, look, I think those I think it’s a fact that those countries in the world who you know, who like to think that the United States should be supporting them, but

2:07 don’t support the United States in return. I think they’ve got something to worry about, but I don’t think others have. So look, I think that’s Look, I welcome this change. We’ve had two wars under the previous administration. We didn’t under the President Trump administration. I think he and his people have a much better idea of how to handle

2:27 American power in the world. So, you know, I’m taking an optimistic view on North America. Look, John, it’s interesting there’s obviously both from President Trump’s standpoint, but also just broader geopolitical developments. There’s an increasing interest in what’s called nearshoring and bringing some of these supply chains back to the United States or North America more broadly. So I

2:58 think there could be opportunities for not just the United States, but Canada and Mexico. Although I’d say, you know, as a Canadian, I always a very cautious John about kind of lumping you know, our relationship and our border in with the US Mexican relationship, because that’s obviously a much more problematic.

3:16 Speaker 1 One, understood. Uh, Canada and the United States has always been great partners, uh and for security and and everything else. Uh, Well, we’re also energy partners. And how does that go into what Trump plans to do? Uh? And uh his expression of drill baby drill affect Canada, uh and uh uh and affect the world market?

3:51 Speaker 2 Well, I think there’s there’s just no doubt that, you know that the Trump administration, as it did before, will put continued emphasis on developing American energy of all kinds, you know, not just traditional fossil fuel. I expect that it will retain a lot of the incentives for new energy as well as you know, John, as you know

4:12 wealth yourself. Can the US have an integrated oil and gas industry and so you know, well, obviously the growth of the US industry is competition for Canada. It’s a healthy competition, and I think generally the Canadian energy industry is positive. As you know in Canada. The concern in the Canadian energy industry are not the potential policies of

4:39 the Trump administration. They’re the policies of the Canadian government, which are very hostile to oil and gas.

4:46 Speaker 1 I understand that Prime Minister Trudeau, the rumors are, and I don’t follow Canadian politics a lot, is that his popularity has declined somewhat like almost like the President Biden’s.

5:02 Speaker 2 Has far more precipitously. John the current government is in the low twenties in popularity. Wow. That general consensus that is wow. Yeah, yeah, no, And they’ve been there for a long time now. I think there’s a general consensus. Look, you’re talking to a bias source here. I’m former Conservative prime minister. I’m strongly supportive of my party coming back into office. But it has

5:28 been leading in the polls by fifteen to twenty points for I don’t know what almost two years now, at least a year and a half, and I think most analysts think that the possibility of Trudeau government being re elected is pretty close to zero.

5:42 Speaker 1 And when of lectures projected to.

5:44 Speaker 2 Happen, there’s a date set. We have constitutional five year limit. A date is set at the four year mark, which is October next year. However, the government is a minority position and could be defeated in the House of Commons theoretically before that. So the answer is, we don’t know, John, it will be I suspect no later than next October.

6:10 Speaker 1 Understood. What else would you like to talk about? Is the world going to be saved? And it seems like we were on the brink of World War three because of the fact that how many countries have to be involved before you call it a world war. Give us your perspective on the world and how do you think

6:36 things will sort themselves out?

6:38 Speaker 2 Well, I think, John, Look, I’ve talked to many people about this. I do believe. I believe for some time that we are in what I call Cold War two, that we do have an access of other powers in the world, Iran, Russia, and China in particular, which are increasingly aligned in the objective of diminishing Western and more

7:04 specifically American power and leadership in the world. Look, don’t get me wrong, these those three countries that are just named are very different. They have very different objectives, but they are aligned and they share the objective of seeing the United States and seeing the West generally have a diminished role in the world. And I think, you know, look,

7:28 I won’t say I’m I’m unconcerned about that or unconcerned about the American response, but you know, and I hope the United States will continue to provide global leadership because without American global leadership, john to be blunt, there is no global leadership, and the world will simply move into increasing disorder, which will affect America the American people as

7:50 much as anybody else. So I hope they’ll be American leadership. But I have considerable sympathy for the incoming administration’s view that it’s not in in providing leadership to people who won’t follow. And so those of us who support American leadership, Western democratic leadership in the world, I think it’s incumbent upon us to contribute and work with the United States

8:15 in achieving more secure, more prosperous, and ultimately more free and democratic world understood.

8:24 Speaker 1 Now, the other question I have is NATO. It seems like acron once ago on his own his own direction.

8:37 Speaker 2 Yeah, well, look the your type Macron.

8:39 Speaker 1 You said, yeah, I’m the French Prime minister right along with the along with I forget his name, the person in charge of NATO now for the European community.

8:52 Speaker 2 Right, Well, look French. The French presidents have often said that in the past. But you know, ultimately, as they say, I think the lesson for the French and everyone else if they want to go on their own way. My suspicion is the Trump administration will say, fine, but don’t ask for our help. You know, It’s it kind of

9:11 cuts both ways. Look, I think the issue with NATO, John, I know that President Trump in his previous term put a great deal of emphasis on increasing NATO’s spending. I understand why that’s the case. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, but I think there are two questions need to be asked, not just are you spending sufficiently on

9:32 your defense? But are you prepared to contribute to the shared NATO and US objectives? And I often think this is the overlook case. You know, for instance, when I was when I was Prime Minister of Canada, we had we were starting to increase our spending. We weren’t we weren’t certainly spending the two percent, but we weren’t criticized.

9:54 The reason we weren’t criticized is because we were contributing vigorously. The NATO mentioned a Canadian general actually led the NATO mission in Libya. So I think what I’d advised the Trump administration to do if it, if it were to ask me, would be not just focus on the on the spending, but really ask hard questions about whether these

10:14 various Natal allies are prepared to contribute.

10:17 Speaker 1 Understood, I’m mister Prime Minister. What else would you like to talk about? We have a few minutes left.

10:27 Speaker 2 Well, look, I, as I said John as as leader of the International Democracy Union, the Conservative Global Federation, we were we were pleased to see the Republican Party be successful. And why, as I said, First of all, because we do think that this Republican administration will have a better sense of how to use American power in the world

10:52 to not not not to fight wars, but to prevent them, which is the ultimate failure of the previous I think that this administration will be much more even even more clearly supportive of Israel in securing its uh it’s peace and it’s uh, it’s place in the Middle East. Obviously concerned about Ukraine.

11:17 Speaker 1 Uh.

11:17 Speaker 2 You know, my view is that by the way I saw my view, I know from firsthand experience that Vladimir Putin is an enemy of the United States and Americas should not be under any illusion about that, and any success he has in Ukraine is something we should be concerned about. So I hope the administration will will we’ll

11:36 see that. We’re also encouraged, John, because because I do think the Republican Party and President the Trump administration particularly has a better overall economic policy. Now, I’m not going to tell you that we’re unconcerned about tariffs and some of these other agenda items, but you know, fundamentally, John, the Trump administration in the past, the Republican Party are

12:03 fundamentally pro growth, pro business, and the Democratic Parties, certainly under the Biden Harris people are not. We’re not, and so I think that we should be optimistic on that front as well. I’m not going to tell you I’m concerned about some of the some of the agenda items I see, both for foreign and domestic, but overall, I

12:27 think it’s a healthy change for the United States and will be for the world. If the world decides to productively partner with the United States, well.

12:36 Speaker 1 Thank you so much, former Prime Minister of Canada State Stephen Hopper. You have common sense and common sense is needed in our world. And thank you for your input and we’ll catch up again real soon.

12:52 Speaker 2 Very kind, John, and I always appreciate you giving me the opportunity