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When the history of this Liberal government is written, among its major achievements will be the bad things it prevented from happening.

When Finance Minister Bill Morneau negotiated the renewed health accord with the provinces, Ottawa secured deals limiting funding increases to growth in the size of the economy, rather than the 5.2 per cent escalator demanded by the premiers. The cumulative savings to the federal government amount to $50-70 billion over a decade.

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or John Ivison: Trudeau's call to Trump credited with securing exemption from steel tariff Back to video

On Donald Trump’s threatened steel and aluminum tariffs, the Trudeau government has skilfully leveraged the network of contacts and allies built up over the past 18 months to secure Canada an exemption.

Last week, Trump suggested the 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent levy on aluminum would apply to all countries in order to protect national security. He was apparently convinced by Trade Secretary Wilbur Ross and Trade Director Peter Navarro that U.S. industry could only be protected by building a fortress around America to block trans-shipped Chinese metals.