Prime Minister Stephen Harper holds a closing press conference at the NATO Summit in Newport, Wales on Friday, September 5, 2014.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Stephen Harper has offered up a defence in the face of an onslaught of criticism from former prime minister Brian Mulroney.
Mulroney sternly rebuked the government for its approach to foreign policy in an interview with CTV.
On the 30th anniversary of his historic majority election win, the 75-year-old Mulroney suggested the Tories weren't in step with Canadian traditions and history because of their strained relationship with the United Nations.
He also suggested the government had no clout internationally because the current prime minister lacks close ties to U.S. President Barack Obama.
In Wales for the NATO summit, Harper said simply that Canada's ability to "contribute concretely in international affairs" has never been higher.
He said the government's record on child and maternal health in particular is widely recognized in the world and by Canadians.