Canada and New Zealand's leaders are 'very well aligned', High Commissioner says
Daniel Mellsop left his post as New Zealand's High Commissioner to Canada this week
Canada's relationship with New Zealand is stronger than ever, says New Zealand's former high commissioner to Canada.
"The reason I say it's better than it ever has been is because we have two governments, two prime ministers, who are very well aligned and get on very well with each other," said Daniel Mellsop, who was appointed to the post in 2016.
Mellsop ended his stint as High Commissioner Thursday. He reflected on the commonalities between the two countries with CBC Radio's The House.
"We compare notes with Canada on just about every topic under the sun. Not just the traditional foreign affairs and security and defence issues, but we're talking about all sorts of things," Mellsop said, citing climate change and Indigenous affairs.
But both nations don't yet see eye-to-eye when it comes to permitting the use of Huawei equipment in 5G networks, though Mellsop isn't too concerned.
"I think New Zealand and Canada are always going to have a very tight security relationship," he said. "It's much stronger than any one issue that we face at the moment."