Getting Ready for Reagan’s “Sharper Edge”

External Affairs Minister Mark McGuigan to Prime Minister Trudeau: “Implications for Canada of Reagan Presidency.” October 23, 1980

Nearly 3 weeks after Towe’s tepid optimism about Carters’ re-election, Mark McGuigan, the largely pro-US External Affairs Minister Trudeau appointed after returning to power in March 1980, offers a more circumspect tone and advises the Prime Minister of the need to be ready for a possible Reagan victory. Along with the warnings about the market orientation of Reagan’s policies and their possible impact on Canada, he argues Reagan would likely look at Canada-US issues purely based on domestic considerations, and that he would likely be less likely to consult allies in foreign policy decisions, and that the objective of his proposed North American Accord was greater US access to Canadian and Mexican natural resources. The Prime Minister was cautioned a Reagan win would bring “a sharper edge” to Canada-US relations.