Friends and admirers remember Brian Mulroney for momentous policies that changed Canada
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From championing free trade to opposing racial apartheid in South Africa, former prime minister Brian Mulroney left a remarkable and indelible imprint on Canadian history.
Condolences have been pouring since news broke that the nation’s 18th prime minister had died just shy of his 85th birthday. His daughter Caroline Mulroney shared the news Thursday afternoon on social media.
“He had the courage to do big things,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “He shaped our past, but he shapes our present, and he will impact our future, as well.”
His friends and admirers spoke both of the late statesman’s ambitious (and sometimes divisive) political agenda and the extraordinary personal connections he forged along the way.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Brian Mulroney was ‘an extraordinary statesman’ who ‘had the courage to do big things’ and loved Canada with all his heart.
“I’ll never forget the insights he shared with me over the years — he was generous, tireless, and incredibly passionate,” said Trudeau.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Mulroney also shared “candid advice and generous mentorship” with him.
Poilievre praised Mulroney’s economic policies and achievements, including one of his most consequential ones: brokering a free trade deal with the U.S.
“He unleashed free enterprise, crushed inflation, restored fiscal sanity and concluded one of the greatest free trade agreements the world has ever seen, which remains largely in place today,” said Poilievre.
“These changes gave thousands of working-class families the same opportunities he had, that is, the chance to work hard, buy a home and build their dreams.”
Former Quebec premier and federal Progressive Conservative leader Jean Charest says Brian Mulroney was “a visionary and passionate leader who loved Canada very deeply.”
Poilievre cited Mulroney’s passionate and personal campaign against South Africa’s apartheid system and his efforts to rally Commonwealth nations against it.
Talking to reporters Thursday, Poilievre said a standout moment for him was when Mulroney compared his beloved wife Mila to Anaida Poilievre
“He said, ‘She is your best friend, she will be your best adviser,'” he said. “That was very touching.”
Former Quebec premier Jean Charest remembered Mulroney as not only a mentor and friend, but “almost a father figure.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he last spoke to Brian Mulroney about six weeks ago, saying he was a “brilliant conversationalist and a wonderful storyteller.”
“His period in politics was a different world. It was a time when people went into politics with an idea and an understanding that you had to make difficult decisions and accept that they would be unpopular because they were necessary,” he told CBC News.
“And the good things and the bad things come with the job, but you have a deep responsibility towards the country and towards history. He was transformational as a prime minister and so he changed our lives and for the better.”
Charest served in Mulroney’s cabinet and was later tapped to chair a special committee to study a proposed companion resolution to the Meech Lake Accord.
Bouchard says he and Mulroney reconciled later in life
The failed accord would have recognized Quebec as a “distinct society” within Canada and would have extended greater powers to the provinces.
It’s failure lead to a bitter falling-out between former old friends Mulroney and Lucien Bouchard, who quit cabinet and went on to form the Bloc Québécois.
Bouchard said they mended fences in the last month and had dinner on Friday with their wives.
“We had reconciled, but very late. Too late. So many years lost,” he told CBC News in Montreal. “We felt very strong for what we thought and fought for, so it can explain things but at the end of the day it’s a lot of years lost for a marvellous friendship.”
Former prime minister Stephen Harper remembered him as a man who “stood for freedom and democracy on the world stage.”
“Canada has lost a historic figure,” he said.
Ontario Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford remembered Mulroney for another defining attribute: his way with words.
“It didn’t matter if it was a private conversation or a speech to thousands, Brian had an ability to capture a crowd and keep them captivated with his endless supply of stories,” said Ford in a statement.
“Anyone who heard him speak walked away in awe.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh praised Mulroney’s environmental policies, including his successful efforts to convince U.S. President Ronald Reagan to sign the acid rain treaty to curb sulfur dioxide emissions that were destroying waterways.
“He made an important contribution to Canada, including protecting our environment — leading the world in tackling acid rain and banning chemicals that were destroying the ozone layer,” he said.
Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien says he and Brian Mulroney often talked about shared memories, including their respective upbringings in rural Quebec. Chretien says Mulroney was an “important prime minister at a very difficult time in the country.”
Former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien, who spent swaths of his career arguing with Mulroney, compared their relationship to a game of hockey.
“You can fight on the ice, but have a beer afterwards together, and we had a lot of things in common,” he said. “He was involved in many controversial files. It’s better to be involved than not to be involved.”
Chrétien said Mulroney’s family, including his four children, can be proud of their father.
Charest said he travelled to Florida to see Mulroney over the weekend for what ultimately became a sad “but beautiful moment.”
“Already at that time he said to me, ‘I’m not trying to finish the year,’ and I tried to convince him of the contrary,” he said.
“He’s Irish — he was sad, sometimes feeling a little sorry for where he was, and then joyous. He had a great sense of humour. I reminded him how lucky he was that I elected him. We had a great laugh.”
In honour of his death, the flags on the Peace Tower and all federal buildings and establishments in Canada will be flown at half mass until his funeral, which has not yet been announced.
The House of Commons adjourned Thursday at news of his passing.
