Harper blindsides Trudeau PMO, plans visit to White House | CTV News

"Robair" said
Self serving prick is just trying to get sales for his book I'm sure.

"Tricks" said
Private citizen, can do as he pleases, but he'd be smart to sit down with Trudeau and offer to try and bridge the gap and bring the orange dumbass coward to a sane line of thought again.

"Sunnyways" said
Private citizen, can do as he pleases, but he'd be smart to sit down with Trudeau and offer to try and bridge the gap and bring the orange dumbass coward to a sane line of thought again.

Harper has not shied away from wading into the NAFTA talks, offering commentary on TV and at conferences. He has criticized some of the Liberal government's actions on the trade file while defending the NAFTA agreement itself.

Sources say that ahead of the meeting, Bolton phoned the Canadian embassy in Washington to make some arrangements � a call that caught Canadian officials off-guard as they were not expecting such a visit.

Adding to the confusion, say the sources, the White House did not specify which "prime minister" was expected for the meetings; the Americans often use political titles long after a politician has left office. That led some Canadian officials to believe a visit by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had been planned in secret.

Trudeau's foreign policy adviser, John Hannaford, contacted his counterpart in the White House, who apologized and explained it was former prime minister Harper who would be visiting.

That prompted confusion on the part of Trudeau's inner circle, the sources say, as it's customary for past prime ministers to keep their successor in the loop on foreign travel plans of this magnitude.

This was also an issue when Harper himself was in office and he had to contend with former prime minister Jean Chr�tien travelling to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin during the Crimean crisis. Harper had taken a tough stand against Putin and his incursion into

Coderre won re-election to the House of Commons in 2006, but the Liberals lost the campaign and became the Official Opposition party. Coderre was the Liberal Defence Critic. In 2007 Coderre made allegations against the previous Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier (retired) of being a "prop". Hillier in return has accused Coderre of being more concerned with party image than in protecting Canadian Forces members. In October 2007, Coderre made a self-planned visit to Afghanistan to visit the war-torn country and the Canadian Forces in the Kandahar region. He criticized the Harper government � who did not invite him on an official tour of the country that was made by Ministers Bev Oda and Maxime Bernier a few days before him � and consequently, Coderre, as Liberal defense critic, had to travel by himself at his own expense, mentioned that the mission in Afghanistan must change in 2009. The government had accused him of staging a stunt while Coderre fired back that the Conservatives overestimated the success of the mission.

"Thanos" said
Maybe, but Harper's not going to be talking to Trump or Pence. Kudlow and Bolton have important positions but it's not like this is some kind of state visit. And our own politics remain what they, unfortunately, even in the face of the American threat. It's not like Chretien or Coderre bothered to co-ordinate with the Harper government with their own excursions so Harper's not really obligated with that kind of precedent to keep Trudeau informed. Former heads of state apparently have the right to do these things as they see fit after their retirement.

It'll all mean nothing anyway. Even if Kudlow, Bolton, Kelly, Mattis, Pence, or the entire congressional GOP were willing to listen Trump still wouldn't be. Harper is really just wasting his time with this effort.

"Sunnyways" said

No former head of government should undertake a mission of this sort without talking to the PMO first. That's a reasonable rule in my opinion.

"Sunnyways" said
Which could be interpreted as meaning we have to appease Trump.

"Sunnyways" said
This does not sound good at all.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/06/2 ... newsletter

By contrast, Brian Mulroney is working with the current administration. That�s what all former PMs should be doing. Harper is out of order here.

The West and Russia are locked in a tense and bitter stand-off, as if the Cold War has been revived. The Crimea Peninsula remains under Russian control and fighting continues in eastern Ukraine with pro-Russia rebels, while American, British and Canadian soldiers are training Ukrainian forces.

Into this moment of international drama and danger walks Jean Chr�tien. The InterAction Council, an organization of former world leaders, has announced that the former prime minister will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the council�s upcoming meeting. The council is to discuss the state of relations between Russia and the West and Chr�tien is to �report to the group on his discussions with the Russian president.�

Since leaving office a decade ago, Chr�tien has periodically made news with his forays abroad. In 2004, along with the head of a Canadian oil company, he visited Turkmenistan to meet with Saparmurat Niyazov, that country�s late dictator. In 2013, Chr�tien attended the funeral of Hugo Chavez, the controversial Venezuelan leader. He has also criticized the Harper government�s foreign policy.

"Sunnyways" said
No former head of government should undertake a mission of this sort without talking to the PMO first. That's a reasonable rule in my opinion.