OTTAWA—There he was — centre stage, centre of attention and, curiously, until that moment, at the centre of a quiet diplomatic effort to keep channels open with U.S. President Donald Trump.

For former prime minister Brian Mulroney, invited onstage by Canadian musician David Foster to sing at a cancer fundraiser held at Trump’s private Palm Beach, Fla., resort Saturday night, it was clearly a bit of fun.

In that famous baritone voice and with a twinkle in his eye, Mulroney belted out his old favourite, “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” regaling yet another president.

It was an encore performance for Mulroney, who famously sang it with president Ronald Reagan at the so-called Shamrock Summit in Quebec City in 1985.

Then, as now, Mulroney was mocked.

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After a businessman posted video of the performance on Twitter, Mulroney was scorned in comments for cosying up to Trump.

Mulroney, apparently, couldn’t care less.

His willingness to share an easy evening with the embattled president at his Mar-a-Lago club appears to have had a singular benefit: Mulroney got a first-hand read on how Trump viewed Monday’s meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and whether the businesslike rapport they exhibited for the cameras had really been established behind closed doors.

According to sources with knowledge of their talks, Trump told Mulroney he thought “Justin did a hell of a job” and said he liked the young prime minister — a man who, in so many ways, appears his polar political opposite.

That’s good news for Canadians — further proof, if any were needed, of the advantage of enlisting Mulroney and his former ambassador, Derek Burney, to help make introductions between Trudeau and his senior team to Trump and many of the senior people around the president.

Trump’s appearance with his wife, Melania, at the fundraiser for the Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute was unexpected but not a total surprise.

The Trumps and Mulroney and his wife, Mila, have known each other for 25 years. The two families have homes in Palm Beach, and Mulroney’s now adult children know Trump’s kids well — friendships that persist to this day.

As well, Trump was just back in Palm Beach after earlier busting out a campaign-style speech in Melbourne, Fla., that nailed what he calls the “fake news” media.

Although he was long scorned by the political left for what was criticized as a cloying performance, Mulroney and Reagan hit it off in 1985.

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This time, it was Foster who coaxed the 77-year-old Mulroney onstage for what appeared to be an impromptu performance at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club that also serves as his Florida home.

Foster told the crowd that the two had been at the home of Andrea Bocelli the previous evening, where Mulroney also sang. The Italian tenor told Mulroney, “you have a great voice,” Foster said, according to a video posted on social media.

He introduced Mulroney — who was seated with the Trumps and Boston power couple Michele and Howard Kessler — as “my prime minister” and gave the former prime minister the choice of singing “Danny Boy” or “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.”

Mulroney, dressed in a black tuxedo, came on stage and joked, “Mr. President, I hope this doesn’t fracture Canadian-U.S. relations . . . . I apologize in advance for it.”

The performance got a warm reception as members of audience sang-along with Mulroney and gave him a round of applause at the end.

The institute had held its fundraisers at the Palm Beach club the past six years but this year’s event had attracted criticism and even calls to cancel in the wake of Trump’s election as president.

In January, just days after Trump was sworn in, the institute acknowledged the concerns but said it was too late to cancel the fundraiser which had been planned “months in advance.

“Contracts have been signed, and a large number of people have committed to attend. Cancelling the event outright would only deny much-needed resources for research and care,” the institute said in a statement.

But just over a week later, the institute released a second statement, saying it never meant the fundraiser to become “any type of political statement or endorsement of any political figure or policy position.”

And it said that cancelling the event at the last minute would itself be seen as a political statement.

“Our goal is to stay out of politics. Cancer affects everyone, and we are a non-partisan, non-profit health care institution,” the statement said.

“Because this event has become such a lightning rod for some, in the future we will avoid controversial venues that may distract from our focus on cancer care and research,” it said.

With files from Bruce Campion-Smith

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