U.S. President Donald Trump should be commended for keeping his election promises, including his recent moves to tighten up immigrant access to the States, says former area member of Parliament Myron Thompson.
In a Gazette interview, Thompson says he was a Trump supporter during the 2016 U.S. election and continues to be so today.
"You're seeing a guy who is making a campaign speech saying what he is going to do and now he is doing it," said Thompson. "I think that is pretty unusual and I think that is a good sign.
"Time will tell, but he is certainly moving forward on things rather quickly and doing what he promised."
A Sundre resident and a dual Canada-U.S. citizen, Thompson was born in Colorado and has lived in Canada since 1968.
Thompson was a Reform-Conservative MP from 1993 to 2008. He is currently a member of Sundre town council.
Trump recently signed an executive order banning some citizens from seven predominantly Muslim counties from entering the U.S. for 90 days and suspending the admission of some refugees for 120 days.
Trump says the moves have been made to better protect the U.S. by keeping "radical Islamic terrorists out of America. We don't want them here."
Critics call the ban a violation of human rights. Several court challenges are now underway.
Trump has every right to tighten up his country's immigration system, said Thompson.
"I think that makes sense and I do think it is temporary," said Thompson. "I do believe that they will get that all straightened around where they can look after the genuine ones (refugees) and make sure they do their vetting properly to make sure you don't have ones coming in that you don't want.
"Coming from another country is a privilege. It's not a right and I think that's the way to approach it."
Asked if Canada should be imposing a similar temporary ban on emigration from some countries, he said, "I don't know the whole story about what happened in Quebec but it shows that we are vulnerable as well as anywhere in the States. Whatever it takes to stop it you've got to do it."
Asked if he believes Canada should be reviewing its immigration policies, he said, "Absolutely. You just don't open the door without doing something to make sure you are not getting people in that you don't desire to have here.
"I'm an immigrant and I didn't see anything wrong with what was required of me when I came. They are looking after their people by doing that."
Meanwhile, Thompson says he is hopeful that Trump's plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement will result in a good compromise between the signatories.
"The forestry industry is certainly a different kind of an issue," he said. "With the softwood lumber, we have to do something about the idea that they have down in the States that the (Canadian) stumpage fees are some kind of a subsidy to our industry and that makes it an unfair deal.
"I'm no expert when I come to that, but I sure hope the beneficiary of the negotiations will be both countries, that they will come up with a real good plan to work together. I think it can work out.
"We are a natural resource export country and that's been our backbone for a long time. We certainly can't let that go to waste."
"You're seeing a guy who is making a campaign speech saying what he is going to do and now he is doing it."Myron Thompson on U.S. President Donald Trump.
