Harper should shoulder part of blame for Keystone delays: Joe Clark

WASHINGTON – Joe Clark is telling a Washington audience that the Harper government deserves some of the blame if the Keystone XL pipeline is stalled.

The former prime minister and foreign-affairs minister is in the U.S. for a panel discussion on his new book about foreign policy.

The book is deeply critical of the Harper Tories for a “megaphone” approach to foreign policy — marked by loud grandstanding and little constructive engagement with the world.

The Harper government made a big mistake, he says, by picking fights with environmentalists over the last few years.

He says that was an unwise thing to do while promoting the expansion of oil pipelines into the U.S.

Clark is taking questions about his book, “How We Lead,” during a discussion at the Wilson Center.

He was also asked about the Parti Quebecois’ values charter and he called the plan alarming.