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NEWPORT, Wales — Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn’t appear too concerned that his foreign policy has come under fire from former Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney.

Mulroney unleashed a scathing critique of how Harper handles foreign relations during an interview with CTV’s Power Play aired Thursday.

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He noted that “when Canada, for the first time in our history, loses a vote at the United Nations to become a member of the Security Council … to Portugal, which was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time, you should look in the mirror and say: ‘Houston, I think we have a problem.’”

But Harper, here to meet NATO leaders, said Friday that Canadians recognize his government’s ability to handle foreign relations.

“I say that the record is clear,” Harper added. “Canada’s ability to contribute consistently in international affairs has never been higher.”

Mulroney, however, clearly has his doubts. He said the government’s foreign policy “has to be enveloped in a broader and more generous sweep that takes in Canadian traditions and Canadian history in a much more viable way.