Last night, on CTV National News, we showed an excerpt from some extended interviews Lloyd Robertson did with former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Mulroney had some harsh things to say about Trudeau. Today, Liberal leader Stephane Dion issued this statement in reaction to Mulroney’s comments:
It is regrettable that, after attending Prime Minister Trudeau’s funeral and praising him as “an exceptional individual who served his country effectively and well … a gallant political warrior who loved his country,” Mr. Mulroney would seem to be at such odds with his own views.
One wonders whether Canadians will gain any genuine insight from Mr. Mulroney's book if the former Prime Minister himself is unable to provide a reliable account of his public sentiments towards past rivals such as Mr. Trudeau.
Finally, while Mr. Mulroney's track record in politics may indeed explain his frustrations with Prime Minister Trudeau, they do not qualify him as a historian.
Adversary or not, one cannot ignore Mr. Trudeau's contributions to Canada. In bringing us the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Prime Minister Trudeau ensured that the human rights of all our citizens would be protected.
Surely Mr. Mulroney wouldn't dispute that in so doing, Prime Minister Trudeau earned the respect of all Canadians.
It seems that it is a taboo to speak ill of P.E.T. as he is not around to defend himself. I would also assume that deeply offended Liberals everywhere would feel the same about any political leader that has gone to meet his maker. Therefore, let's not have any more words spoken about Diefenbaker, Laurier or anyone who is not around to defend themselves like say Stalin or Hitler. Come, come now lets be mature about things and know what the difference is between words spoken in eulogy and comments made in an interview. I mean really now…..