Transcripts For CSPAN Bill Clinton On U.S.-Canada Relations

The Prime Minister and the president were in office. When im intimidated around them. But i want to point out that our word, start with the same former. Equal. T makes us sort of bright i cant see but i know ramone is here somewhere. I wanted to acknowledge ramone was actually my partner when i ambassador. Hes the canadian ambassador to United States. Remarkable Career Foreign Service officer in canada. A speech trump made that was an inducement to play a there after urse the speech. And the president as is his habit was running a little late after tarted to get dark nine holes and the Prime Minister looked at him and said, bill, its too dark. Going to have to call this match. Him he president looked at and got a little stressed and aid you promised me a golf game. Were going to play a golf game. Then he looks at me and i i was the United States ambassador but i got in charge lights. [laughter] he said my ambassador will this. [laughter] the secret service vans and trucks pulled up to the edge f the golf course and lit the fairway and he looks and said, finished the round. At af these gentlemen were Manchester England and like school boys they escaped and went running across pasture together to get away tedium of it. We have the Prime Minister of or 13 years old up on top of a wall helping the resident of the United States climb over this wall to get away guards. Security so i am going to give you two a chance to talk. Promise. First though, what i would like to ask you, gentlemen, is that, again, through my observation, people in two other this partnership who were not nly extraordinarily supportive but probably drove the success realized. Of you eileen is here this if you and i wonder would tell us how shes doing and mr. President , i just inished Hillary Clintons book the other night and it seems like shes still got some gas in the tank. [laughter] so i want i would laughter] i would i would like you us a sense of how our former first lady and secretary doing. Is i think shes doing very well. Semishell here with me tonight i know her 65 years. Applause] weve been married 60 years. Shes been my rock of gibralter. [applause]. She will not talk much but when she had something to tell me, it was very straight. Talking too long. You know. Or shut up. No. That. Ever said [laughter] she was very good to keep me speeches, h my meeting people, and just make a g that i would speech and i love to go but im attention. Too much and she will watch. Know, when you said that, applaud and can not get up. Neither the other guy. That, i said the two together after that. Me. Ch them, she would tell so, you know, what can i say . Shes the mother of my three we have five grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Too bad. Nd in january, i put my great grandson on skis. 75 feet went down. Put your dson said hand. Yes. Your name. She had time to do a good hard and he worked so two young people on her campaign on her campaign did and i think it was really thought she knew more than her parents did about everything. Finally admitted true. Year, it is finally [laughter] so in the year and a half when her mother was running for worked full time fulfilled her responsibility at our second on, had her child, wrote took books, and taught her second class at columbia. Otherwise just lazed around. Blessed and happy. For asking. [applause] so at the outset, i suggested that the two of you develop a chemistry together. In some ways in my eyes, i looked at him as being older brother in the relationship. Both of you grew up in small communities. Both of you had an affinity for people enjoyed people. Both of you decided at an early in that being involved Public Policy was important to ou and in order to do that successfully, you have to be in the political process which both mastered i would suggest. So the similarities are remarkable. A little ge is different. But the similarities are remarkable. I remember someone once said mr. Prime minister that you were ifficult to understand in both fficial languages but [laughter] i think i may get fired. [laughter] but the everybody understood me. [laughter] [applause] [crowd cheering] thing i would like both us understand is did that chemistry exist and if that it id you find assisted you in working together canadau. S. Relationships but in Global Engagement that made a shores. Ce beyond our you know, for me, bill and i, we were politicians. Profession. As a and im very proud that i was a politician on my life. Make difference in this society. Of course youre being all the time but why i felt comfortable with the sorry, mr. President. Nd, you know, its because we have been elected and when youre elected, youre serving the people. A better y to make society for everybody. So we had the same goals. We make our People Better off. Happier. The same value we share. No. In equality lieve of opportunity. In society. To share gave the young people to build a life for themselves. That is the goal we have. Politics. We were in and of course its a risk of adding to losing is the game and since why i was so i fortable with it because felt like me that he was a professional politician having do a good job for the people of United States like was trying to do for the people of canada. Applause] you dont have trust, things work very well. The first time we met in seattle, you the new Prime Minister. In first meeting of apec was seattle and i sat next to you and i surprise you a lot. Say, i dont want to be too close to you. If im too close to you, theyll think im the 51st state of america. But if i look independent from you, i can do things for that do. The cia cant do you remember that . I do. And you did not disagree. Were close friends. Played golf. Were the and america people. Them. Now, we try to solve and we talk about it. And you have to make concession. I had to make concession. But we had in mind that what is for the country. And trust is everything. We did not try to score political points. To take advantage of my friendship. Neither did you. But when we were at the g7 or g8 you know, we calibrated. We helped each other. We tried to convince the others what is not american. Because we deal in america and have some problems that during problem virtually no with immigration in the united canada. And in so thank you for the segue. About trade. Has in the United States become quite controversial. Were now trying to figure out we can trade between georgia and south bad ina because its a word. Partners ng with our in mexico obviously nafta. Iating now, nafta was negotiated before hadbecame president but you to get it passed through the congress and i suspect if it had democrat in the white house we probably wouldnt have otten it passed and you did a remarkable job and became prime few ter and extracted a other agreements with respect to approved. Then had it hear from you two whether you think it was the right thing at that time and if the view is now whether or not we should have a renewed going forward. A deal,ars that we made the two of us. The first morning i was Prime Minister. Was president l clinton. After he said congratulations, he says we have a problem with nafta. Remember . You said our problem in the so i was not prime inister an hour later your ambassador Jim Blanchard were on the phone and we were on the way to a solution. Even the Prime Minister. Because for me trade has increased the wealth around the globe. The fact that we have everybody it able to trade, you saw kind of emerges. China, for example. Used to be hundreds of thousands of people dying every year in china. Prosperous. Quite and the globe is a lot more well before free trade. Point of view of the United States, what would have happened if we had defeated it the rhetoric today coming out of the national administration. Another million or so immigrants from mexico. Their economy took a terrible hit. We would have been widely loathed throughout latin america. One place where our trade volumes went way up in the eight years i was president. Exports to gains in latin america than any other part of the world. And it left us all stronger with economies. Ified now, all trade agreements have losers. And but there have been i want to aid and e quick points abet. Number one, there have been lots studies done which show that the effects on jobs not only in the United States but in canada mexico have been modest net. Changed is the nature to he jobs and jobs tied exports ironically in all three of our countries for very tend to pay sons more. Me, Prime Minister, if you kill nafta, i will erect big monument for you in texas. Said, mr. Perot, a big me when we were to inaugurate a new u. S. Embassy in ottawa which i built brick by brick, the [laughter] clinton as i nt mentioned earlier had agreed departments ate advice to come to ottawa to inaugurate that building because at the time they said wed never done it anywhere else and youre creating a precedent and his at the time was if not canada, where . And you reached out and asked if he would come and make a speech. Here was a forum on federalism taking place there. And we worked out a schedule permitted him to go there nd he ended up being the concluding speaker. I must say that it was he had ever came to i canada after i had been sworn in, the president had told me that the United States did not on the neighborhood and that we were going to focus on the neighborhood. Knew from that minute orward about his knowledge and interest in canada. You invited him to come to on ec to make a speech federalism. At that time, the question of in canada was still quite active. A government in quebec t the time that was advocating separation. And under nt circumstances that i got quite because he threw away the speech that he was supposed to make had been decided that he would talk from the heart and the brain and it turned out to the most remarkable tour i think about the s lectual underpinning underpinnings. Made my nervous but it worked perfectly. He came over to me after the to ch and said i would like have a copy of that speech and i said so would i. [laughter] ve never seen what i just said. So i want to ask you why you come d to invite him to and then i would like to ask you decided to come. What was in your thinking about eing here in the promise province of quebec talking about that question. Because when we were together dealing with problems yugoslavia. If we were to at divide according to the language religion, or and the it would be 2 or 300 or 400 countries in the world. Work. Uld so he explained federalism was a good mechanism. My minister in charge of federal rovincial relations was he told me, he said the Prime Minister of this big and i tional conference would lake to have an important speaker to open up and close. Really . Who do you want . Said i would like to have the president of the United States. Really . [laughter] and the president of mexico. Oh, no. I managed with you to get him to come. You and i the golf game was a big part of it. [laughter] he made ey came and this fabulous speech. To find hat, i had president of mexico. I said i would like you to come a speech for this important conference. He said i cannot do that because of mexico, i need the permission of my parliament and cannot have the permission to make the conference in canada. Too bad because i had organized it in such a way to makeyou were to come it would be there to play piano for you because ive een in his house in mexico and i heard the music of diana he loved her [laughter] so he asked the ermission [laughter] [applause] and he was ing] eileen ith his wife and and a few friends and we were asking him what do you want to president. Difference that they have a different religion. That they dress difficultily. You know. Being that is important. World we can show to the they e can live together fighting between the protess protess protestant and the catholic. Tense. Ere very forget t a question of about the past and look into the future. We look too much into the past and dont look into the future n understanding, trust, sharing. These are the qualities that are world. In the whole everyis election and every society and a interactions, they all involve questions of identity. Fascinated by the and the quebec referendum. For me, the reasons mentioned, i to end the conflict in ireland. I was trying to end the conflict and i was le east trying to stop the killing in kosovo later. American south which seceded in the union at civil war. Irish a scotts protestant. Are hey also disproportionately if they live n small towns and rural areas likely to support the Current Administration in their policies clannish. Heyre highly without giving up their identity. Hats why this whole recent violence in spain with the catalonians is so sad. They have the northwest of spain first and the problems and referendum. But you see this all over the world. The third is in the middle. So this identity thing is going long time to for a come. That is most dangerous is to present it in a dehumanizes the other and acts like in order for you somebody has to lose. Interdependent looking forhould be winwin situations. You have a Football Game or about to start the world series, theyre winlose deal. And somebody in order for somebody to win, somebody else to lose. But societies do better based on of cooperation and competition that permits everybody to be better off than before they started. Im not just [applause] just ahe way, thats not political statement. Right. I dont know how many times ive likemyself if i had a body lebron james, i would have gone work. A different line of the whole deal hes unbelievable. You can see about him is different for me thats not related is in half a percent genome. We went to the site of five of in her book. I too have come to canada diana khrall and Sarah Mclaughlin and today i to a bookstore to honor the lyrics with all of the of Leonard Cohen songs. Its a special place. Looking to you now because they think youre the rown ups in the house all of a sudden. Not because theres no ifference between being from alberta or tario or British Columbia but because you a way to have the best of both worlds and treasure your differences. To find something in common more important and include for without looking in the mirror and screaming i dont exist anymore because of all this diversity. Is the major question facing the world today and people would look and see what he id and what did you in this referendum 20 years ago. [applause] it is the biggest question facing the world. You will never do anything about inequality. Never we will not have enough do what we need to do worst of ff the we ate change unless first conquer zerosum travelism. Im proud of who i am but i that were always right. I love a world where every time go to a meeting thats not filled with people like me. White guys in suits. Diverse groups make better to get s and we need over it. [applause] now see why he didnt rely on the speech i gave him about federalism. Pretty well on his own. I will point out that one of us gray hair. Snt have [laughter]. You got a little. [laughter] when you said we need to keep future, i wards the have to say that for some reason, the thing that kept playing in my head when you say is the 1992 Campaign Song clinton for president was dont stop thinking about tomorrow. Teary eyed. Its all about you were right. Future. Ll about the yeah. So i wanted to ask you a our systems in produces a little bit different result that intrigues me. United states, we have this sort of informal thing called the president s club. There is actually a good book written on this subject. Where former president s, once theyre when theyre former, out of office. If they were opponents friends but they begin to Work Together on humanitarian projects together. Mean, jimmy carter and gerald ord ran against each other and became dear friends. Clinton ran against george h. W. Bush, senior george recent years, somebody, because of how close to ve become, referred president clinton as george by another mother. The other day, i was watching my television, the president s cup is tournament and there bush bama, george w. I would like to hear your view that kind of relationship but my observation and correct me if that kind of chemistry among former Prime Ministers is not the same. Hang out together. You dont go to golf matches together. Is it because of the difference in our systems . Why is that bond different . Im the only one playing golf. [laughter] no. Reality is we dont have its probably because of party system. You know, the party system is stronger in canada than you have in United States. Because i see sometimes that the south is to s to the right of the republican of the north. You dont have the same nstitution as political parties. Or me, for example, im close to joe clark, for example, because we Work Together in the many of commons for many, years. But for harper, you know, i talk once in a while. Mr. Because he doesnt come to montreal often. Have this tradition of being together to do Something Like they do when disaster, the all appearance. Does not of sad but exist and perhaps it should be but red or not restored created because i never knew friendship of that kind between the predecessor of mine. Never heard that they were gathering together to do good things. Hats probably a problem of culture and perhaps, yeah, we dont do that. That. S no occasion to do and were not requested very often to do that. So we dont appear together the the way the president of United States. I saw john major in toronto. He just happened to be there. Hes coming over here tomorrow i think. Reminded me that they did not have much of this tradition he and n the u. K. But ony blair went together to Prime Minister<\/a> and the president were in office. When im intimidated around them. But i want to point out that our word, start with the same former. Equal. T makes us sort of bright i cant see but i know ramone is here somewhere. I wanted to acknowledge ramone was actually my partner when i ambassador. Hes the canadian ambassador to United States<\/a>. Remarkable Career Foreign Service<\/a> officer in canada. A speech trump made that was an inducement to play a there after urse the speech. And the president as is his habit was running a little late after tarted to get dark nine holes and the Prime Minister<\/a> looked at him and said, bill, its too dark. Going to have to call this match. Him he president looked at and got a little stressed and aid you promised me a golf game. Were going to play a golf game. Then he looks at me and i i was the United States<\/a> ambassador but i got in charge lights. [laughter] he said my ambassador will this. [laughter] the secret service vans and trucks pulled up to the edge f the golf course and lit the fairway and he looks and said, finished the round. At af these gentlemen were Manchester England<\/a> and like school boys they escaped and went running across pasture together to get away tedium of it. We have the Prime Minister<\/a> of or 13 years old up on top of a wall helping the resident of the United States<\/a> climb over this wall to get away guards. Security so i am going to give you two a chance to talk. Promise. First though, what i would like to ask you, gentlemen, is that, again, through my observation, people in two other this partnership who were not nly extraordinarily supportive but probably drove the success realized. Of you eileen is here this if you and i wonder would tell us how shes doing and mr. President , i just inished Hillary Clintons<\/a> book the other night and it seems like shes still got some gas in the tank. [laughter] so i want i would laughter] i would i would like you us a sense of how our former first lady and secretary doing. Is i think shes doing very well. Semishell here with me tonight i know her 65 years. Applause] weve been married 60 years. Shes been my rock of gibralter. [applause]. She will not talk much but when she had something to tell me, it was very straight. Talking too long. You know. Or shut up. No. That. Ever said [laughter] she was very good to keep me speeches, h my meeting people, and just make a g that i would speech and i love to go but im attention. Too much and she will watch. Know, when you said that, applaud and can not get up. Neither the other guy. That, i said the two together after that. Me. Ch them, she would tell so, you know, what can i say . Shes the mother of my three we have five grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Too bad. Nd in january, i put my great grandson on skis. 75 feet went down. Put your dson said hand. Yes. Your name. She had time to do a good hard and he worked so two young people on her campaign on her campaign did and i think it was really thought she knew more than her parents did about everything. Finally admitted true. Year, it is finally [laughter] so in the year and a half when her mother was running for worked full time fulfilled her responsibility at our second on, had her child, wrote took books, and taught her second class at columbia. Otherwise just lazed around. Blessed and happy. For asking. [applause] so at the outset, i suggested that the two of you develop a chemistry together. In some ways in my eyes, i looked at him as being older brother in the relationship. Both of you grew up in small communities. Both of you had an affinity for people enjoyed people. Both of you decided at an early in that being involved Public Policy<\/a> was important to ou and in order to do that successfully, you have to be in the political process which both mastered i would suggest. So the similarities are remarkable. A little ge is different. But the similarities are remarkable. I remember someone once said mr. Prime minister that you were ifficult to understand in both fficial languages but [laughter] i think i may get fired. [laughter] but the everybody understood me. [laughter] [applause] [crowd cheering] thing i would like both us understand is did that chemistry exist and if that it id you find assisted you in working together canadau. S. Relationships but in Global Engagement<\/a> that made a shores. Ce beyond our you know, for me, bill and i, we were politicians. Profession. As a and im very proud that i was a politician on my life. Make difference in this society. Of course youre being all the time but why i felt comfortable with the sorry, mr. President. Nd, you know, its because we have been elected and when youre elected, youre serving the people. A better y to make society for everybody. So we had the same goals. We make our People Better<\/a> off. Happier. The same value we share. No. In equality lieve of opportunity. In society. To share gave the young people to build a life for themselves. That is the goal we have. Politics. We were in and of course its a risk of adding to losing is the game and since why i was so i fortable with it because felt like me that he was a professional politician having do a good job for the people of United States<\/a> like was trying to do for the people of canada. Applause] you dont have trust, things work very well. The first time we met in seattle, you the new Prime Minister<\/a>. In first meeting of apec was seattle and i sat next to you and i surprise you a lot. Say, i dont want to be too close to you. If im too close to you, theyll think im the 51st state of america. But if i look independent from you, i can do things for that do. The cia cant do you remember that . I do. And you did not disagree. Were close friends. Played golf. Were the and america people. Them. Now, we try to solve and we talk about it. And you have to make concession. I had to make concession. But we had in mind that what is for the country. And trust is everything. We did not try to score political points. To take advantage of my friendship. Neither did you. But when we were at the g7 or g8 you know, we calibrated. We helped each other. We tried to convince the others what is not american. Because we deal in america and have some problems that during problem virtually no with immigration in the united canada. And in so thank you for the segue. About trade. Has in the United States<\/a> become quite controversial. Were now trying to figure out we can trade between georgia and south bad ina because its a word. Partners ng with our in mexico obviously nafta. Iating now, nafta was negotiated before hadbecame president but you to get it passed through the congress and i suspect if it had democrat in the white house we probably wouldnt have otten it passed and you did a remarkable job and became prime few ter and extracted a other agreements with respect to approved. Then had it hear from you two whether you think it was the right thing at that time and if the view is now whether or not we should have a renewed going forward. A deal,ars that we made the two of us. The first morning i was Prime Minister<\/a>. Was president l clinton. After he said congratulations, he says we have a problem with nafta. Remember . You said our problem in the so i was not prime inister an hour later your ambassador Jim Blanchard<\/a> were on the phone and we were on the way to a solution. Even the Prime Minister<\/a>. Because for me trade has increased the wealth around the globe. The fact that we have everybody it able to trade, you saw kind of emerges. China, for example. Used to be hundreds of thousands of people dying every year in china. Prosperous. Quite and the globe is a lot more well before free trade. Point of view of the United States<\/a>, what would have happened if we had defeated it the rhetoric today coming out of the national administration. Another million or so immigrants from mexico. Their economy took a terrible hit. We would have been widely loathed throughout latin america. One place where our trade volumes went way up in the eight years i was president. Exports to gains in latin america than any other part of the world. And it left us all stronger with economies. Ified now, all trade agreements have losers. And but there have been i want to aid and e quick points abet. Number one, there have been lots studies done which show that the effects on jobs not only in the United States<\/a> but in canada mexico have been modest net. Changed is the nature to he jobs and jobs tied exports ironically in all three of our countries for very tend to pay sons more. Me, Prime Minister<\/a>, if you kill nafta, i will erect big monument for you in texas. Said, mr. Perot, a big me when we were to inaugurate a new u. S. Embassy in ottawa which i built brick by brick, the [laughter] clinton as i nt mentioned earlier had agreed departments ate advice to come to ottawa to inaugurate that building because at the time they said wed never done it anywhere else and youre creating a precedent and his at the time was if not canada, where . And you reached out and asked if he would come and make a speech. Here was a forum on federalism taking place there. And we worked out a schedule permitted him to go there nd he ended up being the concluding speaker. I must say that it was he had ever came to i canada after i had been sworn in, the president had told me that the United States<\/a> did not on the neighborhood and that we were going to focus on the neighborhood. Knew from that minute orward about his knowledge and interest in canada. You invited him to come to on ec to make a speech federalism. At that time, the question of in canada was still quite active. A government in quebec t the time that was advocating separation. And under nt circumstances that i got quite because he threw away the speech that he was supposed to make had been decided that he would talk from the heart and the brain and it turned out to the most remarkable tour i think about the s lectual underpinning underpinnings. Made my nervous but it worked perfectly. He came over to me after the to ch and said i would like have a copy of that speech and i said so would i. [laughter] ve never seen what i just said. So i want to ask you why you come d to invite him to and then i would like to ask you decided to come. What was in your thinking about eing here in the promise province of quebec talking about that question. Because when we were together dealing with problems yugoslavia. If we were to at divide according to the language religion, or and the it would be 2 or 300 or 400 countries in the world. Work. Uld so he explained federalism was a good mechanism. My minister in charge of federal rovincial relations was he told me, he said the Prime Minister<\/a> of this big and i tional conference would lake to have an important speaker to open up and close. Really . Who do you want . Said i would like to have the president of the United States<\/a>. Really . [laughter] and the president of mexico. Oh, no. I managed with you to get him to come. You and i the golf game was a big part of it. [laughter] he made ey came and this fabulous speech. To find hat, i had president of mexico. I said i would like you to come a speech for this important conference. He said i cannot do that because of mexico, i need the permission of my parliament and cannot have the permission to make the conference in canada. Too bad because i had organized it in such a way to makeyou were to come it would be there to play piano for you because ive een in his house in mexico and i heard the music of diana he loved her [laughter] so he asked the ermission [laughter] [applause] and he was ing] eileen ith his wife and and a few friends and we were asking him what do you want to president. Difference that they have a different religion. That they dress difficultily. You know. Being that is important. World we can show to the they e can live together fighting between the protess protess protestant and the catholic. Tense. Ere very forget t a question of about the past and look into the future. We look too much into the past and dont look into the future n understanding, trust, sharing. These are the qualities that are world. In the whole everyis election and every society and a interactions, they all involve questions of identity. Fascinated by the and the quebec referendum. For me, the reasons mentioned, i to end the conflict in ireland. I was trying to end the conflict and i was le east trying to stop the killing in kosovo later. American south which seceded in the union at civil war. Irish a scotts protestant. Are hey also disproportionately if they live n small towns and rural areas likely to support the Current Administration<\/a> in their policies clannish. Heyre highly without giving up their identity. Hats why this whole recent violence in spain with the catalonians is so sad. They have the northwest of spain first and the problems and referendum. But you see this all over the world. The third is in the middle. So this identity thing is going long time to for a come. That is most dangerous is to present it in a dehumanizes the other and acts like in order for you somebody has to lose. Interdependent looking forhould be winwin situations. You have a Football Game<\/a> or about to start the world series, theyre winlose deal. And somebody in order for somebody to win, somebody else to lose. But societies do better based on of cooperation and competition that permits everybody to be better off than before they started. Im not just [applause] just ahe way, thats not political statement. Right. I dont know how many times ive likemyself if i had a body lebron james, i would have gone work. A different line of the whole deal hes unbelievable. You can see about him is different for me thats not related is in half a percent genome. We went to the site of five of in her book. I too have come to canada diana khrall and Sarah Mclaughlin<\/a> and today i to a bookstore to honor the lyrics with all of the of Leonard Cohen<\/a> songs. Its a special place. Looking to you now because they think youre the rown ups in the house all of a sudden. Not because theres no ifference between being from alberta or tario or British Columbia<\/a> but because you a way to have the best of both worlds and treasure your differences. To find something in common more important and include for without looking in the mirror and screaming i dont exist anymore because of all this diversity. Is the major question facing the world today and people would look and see what he id and what did you in this referendum 20 years ago. [applause] it is the biggest question facing the world. You will never do anything about inequality. Never we will not have enough do what we need to do worst of ff the we ate change unless first conquer zerosum travelism. Im proud of who i am but i that were always right. I love a world where every time go to a meeting thats not filled with people like me. White guys in suits. Diverse groups make better to get s and we need over it. [applause] now see why he didnt rely on the speech i gave him about federalism. Pretty well on his own. I will point out that one of us gray hair. Snt have [laughter]. You got a little. [laughter] when you said we need to keep future, i wards the have to say that for some reason, the thing that kept playing in my head when you say is the 1992 Campaign Song<\/a> clinton for president was dont stop thinking about tomorrow. Teary eyed. Its all about you were right. Future. Ll about the yeah. So i wanted to ask you a our systems in produces a little bit different result that intrigues me. United states, we have this sort of informal thing called the president s club. There is actually a good book written on this subject. Where former president s, once theyre when theyre former, out of office. If they were opponents friends but they begin to Work Together<\/a> on humanitarian projects together. Mean, jimmy carter and gerald ord ran against each other and became dear friends. Clinton ran against george h. W. Bush, senior george recent years, somebody, because of how close to ve become, referred president clinton as george by another mother. The other day, i was watching my television, the president s cup is tournament and there bush bama, george w. I would like to hear your view that kind of relationship but my observation and correct me if that kind of chemistry among former Prime Minister<\/a>s is not the same. Hang out together. You dont go to golf matches together. Is it because of the difference in our systems . Why is that bond different . Im the only one playing golf. [laughter] no. Reality is we dont have its probably because of party system. You know, the party system is stronger in canada than you have in United States<\/a>. Because i see sometimes that the south is to s to the right of the republican of the north. You dont have the same nstitution as political parties. Or me, for example, im close to joe clark, for example, because we Work Together<\/a> in the many of commons for many, years. But for harper, you know, i talk once in a while. Mr. Because he doesnt come to montreal often. Have this tradition of being together to do Something Like<\/a> they do when disaster, the all appearance. Does not of sad but exist and perhaps it should be but red or not restored created because i never knew friendship of that kind between the predecessor of mine. Never heard that they were gathering together to do good things. Hats probably a problem of culture and perhaps, yeah, we dont do that. That. S no occasion to do and were not requested very often to do that. So we dont appear together the the way the president of United States<\/a>. I saw john major in toronto. He just happened to be there. Hes coming over here tomorrow i think. Reminded me that they did not have much of this tradition he and n the u. K. But ony blair went together to Northern Ireland<\/a> and, you know, of ours a good friend and we did a lot together. Major was a tory but i got he was underrated and too little courage to risk his job to start the irish peace process. So they started together to try o convince the people in Northern Ireland<\/a> to vote against brexit because they said if it peace att will put the risk in and the way people live it because then you wont have a borderless situation going back and forth and then the northern rish wont have duty free access to the European Market<\/a> and vice versa and were trying to get you up. Poorest part. Were trying to lift you up. Nd he was reminding me that he and blair did this and i think well, th enjoyed it and, i think its not like we all ive together and go play golf once a week. I am unusually close to the have president bush and i become friends with his son respect heuse of the developed for hillary when she was a democrat serving on the services committee. And often disagreeing with him. And we just started talking together. And i think what you have to do is find something to do. When, you these know, the second president bush me to work ther and on the tsunami 12 years ago and katrina. President obama asked the second president bush to ork on haiti after the earthquake and i was already there for the u. N. So we worked together for a couple of years just kind of stayed on. I like haiti. m like a lot of canadians, it infects you and drives you mad ut you cant put it down once you pick it up. Abused and most neglected country. Ave engaged in a lot of selfabuse. But theyre magnificent and i keep hoping and praying that the ay theyll have government and systems they deserve because their talents are immense. [applause] but anyway, i so in other we had a reason to do something together. The if youre working on tsunami, its a long way from indonesia. Youre on a long plane flight. You get to know somebody. It enly you remember what was like before you ran against them. And we had a good relationship. What you have to do. Its just personal contact. m telling you we have got to reestablish the examples of trust in the world among people honest disagreements. If you dont get trust back, the system is not going to work. Youre going to have this tribalism run rampant and there numbers of people who benefit economically from tribalism. Its good for the media. Bad news is its much easier to into an eightsecond sound bite than good news. Good for everybody except you. Sensee people in a larger and our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. Called uld do if he me tomorrow and he said i know this is crazy but i need you to to your bank account and get 100,000 and send it to me and ill tell you next week what about, i would do it. Trust him. Because i think hes a good person. Somehow you emerge from being the 18th of 19 and became unique, remarkable, tough but caring person. I just would do it. I wouldnt ask. Dont you all have somebody you that way you feel about . This we need to get to where we people that way. And this identity politics is dog us for a long time because were being thrown ogether at a pace and in ways weve never been thrown together in all of human history. And hes right. Think about the future. See people as people. Keys. Are the two applause] do this all night. Im having about as much fun as have and i think seeing these two gentlemen together you a sense gives of what a remarkably delightful opportunity i was given in life with the two of them and as they ly on the wall worked together. I would have done it for free actually in the american system, you almost do it for free. Had a nice house. Would go on all night as president clinton would say when hed come visit, hed say this public housing. If it were not for the clock police that are standing book telling mere clearly to shut up, i would keep going in if you would join me thanking these two remarkable gentlemen applause] wow. [applause] stay there. Stay there. Stay there. Applause] today on cspan, washington is next live with your phone calls. Then live coverage of the house. Today theyll be voting on a 3 600 0000000 Disaster Relief<\/a> western puerto rico and wild fires. To ban hour, well talk congressman bill johnson about tax reform and the trump moves to repeal the clean power plan. Then congressman host good morning on this thursday. The president will act alone on health care. Later this morning signing an executive order that aims to relax standards for Small Business<\/a> owners. Go to cspan. Org for our coverage. Todays is the day many anticipate the president could announce his decision on the iran nuclear deal. Will he certify or not . Hill, the house is in session. Lawmakers will vote on today to provide billions of dollars in emergency funding for hurricane and wildlife relief","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia802205.us.archive.org\/21\/items\/CSPAN_20171012_095300_Bill_Clinton_on_U.S.-Canada_Relations\/CSPAN_20171012_095300_Bill_Clinton_on_U.S.-Canada_Relations.thumbs\/CSPAN_20171012_095300_Bill_Clinton_on_U.S.-Canada_Relations_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240629T12:35:10+00:00"}