TORONTO (AP) — Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday the country should make “any sacrifice necessary” to preserve the independence of the country in the face of threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Harper, a Conservative prime minister for nearly a decade from 2006 to 2015, made the remarks in a speech during his official portrait unveiling.
Harper described the times as perilous and thanked current Prime Minister Mark Carney for attending the unveiling “at a time when challenges are unprecedented during our lives.”
Trump has talked about making Canada the 51st state and has threatened the country with tariffs.
The Republican president’s push to acquire Greenland strained the NATO alliance, alarming Canada, which shares a 3,000-kilometer (1,864 mile) maritime border with Greenland in the Arctic.
Harper didn’t mention Trump by name but urged Canada’s two major parties, the Liberals and Conservatives, to unify in the face of threats to the country’s sovereignty.
“We must make any sacrifice necessary to preserve the independence and the unity of this blessed land,” Harper said.
Harper said he hopes his portrait is only one of the many portraits of prime ministers of both parties that will continue to be exhibited for decades and centuries to come.
“But that will require that in these perilous times that both parties, whatever their other differences, come together against external forces that threaten our independence,” he said.
Harper also warned against “domestic policies that threaten our unity.” A separatist moment in Alberta could garner enough votes this spring to trigger a referendum for independence from Canada.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said separatist support is about at 30%. Smith is pressuring the federal government and the British Columbia provincial government on the Pacific coast to approve a new oil pipeline to the Pacific.
Harper approved of Carney’s resume when Carney applied to be the head of Canada’s central bank during Harper’s time as prime minister. He joked the then-young man “has apparently gone on to enjoy some success.”
Carney later became the head of the Bank of England in 2013 and prime minister of Canada last year.
Carney thanked Harper for denouncing those who are threatening Canada’s sovereignty as Canada was confronted with unprecedented attacks and trade pressures.
“He called on us to build a stronger Canada less dependent on the U.S.,” Carney said. “He also took the time to advise me which I have greatly appreciated.”
Carney also commended Harper for his economic stewardship during the 2008 financial crisis.
“He came to Ottawa as a balanced-budget conservative. He believed rightly that governments should live within their means. Yet when the financial crisis struck, he did not let ideology prevent him from doing what was necessary, running deficits for five years to support the Canadian economy through the worst global downturn in generations.,” Carney said.
“Mr. Harper understood that you build up strength in good times to have the capacity to act in bad times.”