Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who served as the 18th prime minister from 1984 to 1993, has passed away at 84 years old.
His daughter shared online that he passed away “peacefully, surrounded by family.”
Mulroney’s leadership saw Canada navigating the final stages of the Cold War and establishing a significant free trade agreement with the US.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed being “devastated” by the news of Mulroney’s passing.
“He never stopped working for Canadians, and he always sought to make this country an even better place to call home,” Mr Trudeau posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I’ll never forget the insights he shared with me over the years — he was generous, tireless, and incredibly passionate.”
Mr. Trudeau also urged the public to “acknowledge and celebrate” Mr. Mulroney’s contribution to building the modern, dynamic, and prosperous Canada we know today.
Hailing from a blue-collar paper mill town in northeastern Quebec, Mulroney began his journey as a lawyer and business executive before assuming leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party and eventually becoming prime minister.
In 1974, he played a pivotal role in a commission investigating the James Bay hydroelectric project, co-authoring a groundbreaking report that exposed organized crime infiltration within labor unions linked to the project.
In 1983, Mulroney secured a parliamentary seat in Nova Scotia and ascended to leadership within the conservative ranks. He assumed office as prime minister in 1984, succeeding Pierre Trudeau of the Liberal Party, and comfortably secured re-election in 1988.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation described Mulroney as “a gifted public speaker,” one of the nation’s most controversial prime ministers, and “unafraid to confront the most daunting challenges of his era.”
Often likened to US President Ronald Reagan, Mulroney, and Reagan, both of Irish descent, shared a camaraderie, even performing a duet of “Irish Eyes are Smiling” at the “Shamrock Summit.”
However, Mulroney’s economic policies stirred controversy during his time in office. His most notable achievement was the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) with Mexico and the United States, which significantly boosted Canada’s exports.
Nevertheless, Mulroney faced backlash for privatizing several government-owned entities, such as Air Canada and introducing Canada’s Goods and Services Tax, which overhauled the tax system and was met with widespread disapproval.
In a 2015 interview, Mulroney defended his reforms, asserting that Nafta provided Canada with a “new lease on economic life” and that his tax measures had “extremely beneficial impacts on the economy.”
Internationally, Mulroney advocated for Reagan to sign a treaty aimed at reducing acid rain and worked towards modernizing Canada’s air defense systems.
Additionally, he staunchly opposed apartheid in South Africa, voicing Canada’s condemnation of the discriminatory regime.
“Whether one agrees with our solutions or not, none will accuse us of having chosen to evade our responsibilities by side-stepping the most controversial issues of our time,” Mulroney said in his 1993 resignation address.
“I’ve done the very best for my country and my party.”
Following his tenure, Mulroney faced scrutiny for accepting substantial sums of cash from an arms dealer and lobbyist, Karlheinz Schreiber. While he maintained that these transactions occurred after leaving office, the revelation unfolded amidst a significant kickback scandal. Mulroney characterized the money received from Schreiber as an “error in judgment.”
“My second biggest mistake in life, for which I have no one to blame but myself, is having accepted payments in cash from Karlheinz Schreiber,” he said in 2007. “My biggest mistake in life – by far – was ever agreeing to be introduced to Karlheinz Schreiber in the first place.”
Mulroney and his wife raised four children. His daughter Caroline has ventured into politics in Ontario, while his son Ben has gained recognition as a prominent television presenter in Canada.
