SHELBURNE, N.S. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took aim at the cross-border Conservative campaign lambasting him for a generous federal payout to Omar Khadr, saying “domestic squabbles” should be left at home.

Speaking at a summer camp in southwestern Nova Scotia today, Trudeau said domestic politics should stay within Canada’s borders.

He says he’ll continue to work with opposition parties ahead of talks to rejig the North American Free Trade Agreement next month, but that Canadians expect domestic disputes won’t derail those discussions.

Senior Liberals have accused Conservatives of fanning anti-Trudeau sentiment ahead of NAFTA negotiations, but Tory Leader Andrew Scheer has argued that the Grits are to blame for any American backlash over the Khadr payment.

Conservatives mount aggressive anti-PM Trudeau campaign in the US, on the eve of NAFTA re-negotiation. #CanadaUShttps://t.co/G91rN5h8su — Gerald Butts 🇨🇦 (@gmbutts) July 19, 2017

Trudeau says he understands if Canadians are frustrated by the settlement, but that the decision was taken to save Canadians money and to defend the basic rights and freedoms of all Canadians.

He says the U.S. administration is focused on growing the economy and helping the middle class, not on political controversies in Canada.







