VOTE: Would you rather negotiate with Justin Trudeau or Donald Trump?

It’s the tale of two countries with two entirely different leaders.

On one hand, you have Canada: a country led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a trained teacher and self-proclaimed feminist who became prime minister at the age of 43, the second-youngest Canadian premier in history, according to Biography.

On the other side, you have the United States: a country led by U.S. President Donald Trump, a real estate mogul and former reality television star who became president at the age of 70 — the oldest newly elected U.S. president in history, according to NPR.

Canada, the U.S. and Mexico have been trying to hammer out a new NAFTA agreement after Trump campaigned against the free trade agreement. Earlier this year, Trump called NAFTA a “horrible deal.”

It was reported Thursday that the U.S. president may not be negotiating honestly with Canada after an audio recording first reported by the Washington Post was leaked. In the recording, Trump can be heard reportedly boasting about intentionally misleading Trudeau about a U.S. trade deficit with Canada.

The Canadian Press reports Trump was speaking to donors in Missouri on Wednesday when he opened up about a conversation he had with Trudeau regarding whether the U.S. runs a trade deficit with its northern neighbour.

Trudeau reportedly told Trump the U.S. does not have a trade deficit with Canada, but that didn’t stop the American leader from firing from the hip.

“Wrong, Justin, you do,” Trump said on the recording. “I didn’t even know … I had no idea.”

Trump would later admit Trudeau was right on the numbers, adding the figures do not include energy or timber. Meanwhile, the Office of the United States Trade Representative says the U.S. had a trade surplus with Canada north of $16 billion (US$12.5 billion) in 2016, which supports Trudeau’s assertion.

For added salt on the wound, the apparent admission of misinformation peddled by Trump came a day after Trudeau appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 where he spoke glowingly about Trump.

Trudeau was asked whether he had full confidence that Trump would stick by his word, to which he replied: “He always had with me.”

The prime minister continued: “He assured me that Canada wouldn’t be part of the tariffs if they moved forward and indeed Canada is not part of the tariffs moving forward.”

Of course, Trump isn’t the first politician to be accused of lying.

During the 2015 federal election, Trudeau promised to “make every vote count” by bringing in electoral reform. “We are committed to ensuring that the 2015 election will be the last federal election using first past the post,” he told a crowd.

In early 2017, Trudeau abandoned plans to change the country’s electoral system.

“What Mr. Trudeau proved himself today was to be a liar,” New Democratic Party MP Nathan Cullen said at the time.

While these are not identical situations, the incident shows that Trudeau isn’t immune to making misleading statements in order to get what he wants, which at the time was support for his party to win an election and form government.

During the last election in Canada, electoral reform was a major topic of discussion. After all, the Liberals received 39.5 per cent of the popular vote in 2015 and yet they were awarded with the majority number of seats in the House of Commons, which many find to be an unfair system.

But with so much at stake in NAFTA negotiations between allies, it’s unclear whether this incident will draw Canada and the U.S. further apart in trade talks or whether it will be swept under the rug for the greater good of the interests of both countries.

With all things being equal, who would you rather negotiate a potential agreement with? Who would you trust more, a bold former businessman or would you opt for an educator known for his “sunny ways”?

Let us know what you think by voting in our poll above and sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.