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Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney Dies at 84
Brian Mulroney, who served as Canada’s 18th prime minister from 1984 to 1993, died Thursday after a fall at his Florida home. He was 84 years old. Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the premier will have a state funeral, as tributes poured in from leaders across Canada and around the world.
Mulroney’s tenure was marked by strong personal leadership and a tenacity that led him to great political highs and lows. The Globe and Mail eulogized him as Canada’s “last great prime minister“, noting that while the scope of his ambitions sometimes outran his abilities, he was nevertheless one of few leaders with a genuinely historic legacy. Mulroney oversaw a significant restructuring of the Canadian economy. A native of Quebec, Mulroney attempted to bridge the divide between French and English Canada at a time of heightened tension, expending significant political capital on failed constitutional reforms that ultimately brought down his government.
Among Mulroney’s most significant legislative accomplishments were his economic liberalisation programme and efforts to increase ties with the United States. He negotiated and passed bills that promoted free trade with the US, most importantly NAFTA. He also privatized major crown corporations such as Air Canada and Petro-Canada, and introduced the national goods and services tax.
Mulroney’s other successes include his strong environmental record. He passed national laws and secured international treaties to curb pollution, and created eight new national parks. He also advocated for strict international sanctions against South Africa’s Apartheid government. And in one of his final acts as Prime Minister, he signed the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, establishing a separate Inuit territory in the largest Indigenous land claim settlement in Canadian history.
The latter part of Mulroney’s premiership was consumed by his unsuccessful attempts to resolve long-simmering questions about Canadian federalism. When the Canadian Constitution was Patriated in 1982, the government of Quebec refused to sign, arguing that the Federal government did not address the province’s concerns. Mulroney attempted to resolve this standoff with the Meech Lake Accord of 1987, specifically addressing key Québécois objections. However, he failed to obtain unanimous approval from the other provinces before the ratification deadline. This rejection only increased Québécois separatism, and damaged Mulroney’s political standing.
Mulroney attempted to rectify this failure with the more comprehensive Charlottetown Accord in 1992, which would also have established Indigenous self-government and reformed the Senate. However, despite having this time obtaining unanimous provincial agreement on the proposal, Mulroney decided to hold a national referendum on the Accord, where it was soundly defeated by Canadian voters. This defeat marked the end of Mulroney’s political career.
Mulroney’s grand visions were reflected in his party’s political fortunes under his tenure. He led the Progressive Conservatives to a landslide victory in 1984, winning three-quarters of seats in Parliament, the second largest in Canadian history. He was also the first Conservative prime minister since John Macdonald to win a second majority government. However, the failure of his constitutional reforms and general economic malaise destroyed his popularity, which reached a record low of 12% by the end of his term. Mulroney resigned as prime minister just before a historic rout of his Progressive Conservatives in the 1993 election. The party suffered one of the worst electoral losses in history, keeping only two of the 169 seats they had won in 1988.
Nevertheless, while Mulroney’s legacy is mixed, it was inarguably transformative; and while subsequent governments were often keen to distance themselves from his policies, his most significant legislative accomplishments remain in place today. |
Royal Canadian Legion, US Branch #25 