On the occasion of the state funeral of Brian Mulroney, which takes place this Saturday, March 23, The newspaper publishes a large tribute file which allows you to relive significant moments of his life.
Brian Mulroney will always remain the prime minister of free trade with the United States, but his contribution to the modernization of the Canadian economy is much broader.
In 1984, Mr. Mulroney took power after a campaign during which he spoke out against free trade. But a few months later, Mr. Mulroney led his party to do an about-face on the issue, influenced among others by Quebec, the Macdonald commission report and American President Ronald Reagan, all in favor of liberalizing the trade between Canada and the United States.
This classic scene was captured in 1985, in Quebec, as part of a gala during which Brian Mulroney and Ronald Reagan concluded the evening by singing an Irish tune. During his two mandates, Mr. Mulroney made a rapprochement with our American neighbor.
Archive photo, Canadian Press, Bill Grimshaw
“He saw that Canada was in a structural blockage,” underlines Mathieu Arès, professor at the University of Sherbrooke.
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Mathieu Arès
Photo University of Sherbrooke
“As he was someone who had been in business and had worked for an American company [l’Iron Ore of Canada]he was very aware of the importance of trade between the two countries,” adds Paul Tellier, who was Clerk of the Privy Council during both Mulroney mandates.
Paul Tellier
Photo taken from the University of Ottawa website
The two countries launched negotiations during the famous Mulroney-Reagan meeting held in Quebec in March 1985. In 1988, Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservatives remained in power after elections that had all the appearance of a referendum on free trade. Entering into force in 1989, the agreement was extended to Mexico in 1994 and took the name NAFTA.
Liberal Leader John Turner and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney during an English-language televised debate during the 1988 election campaign. Mr. Turner then accused Mr. Mulroney of wanting to make Canada a “colony” of the United States with free trade, which helped to propel him in voting intentions.
CBC screenshot
Free trade has boosted exports, but according to several economists, it has not contributed to significantly improving the standard of living of Canadians.
Unlike many people when he was prime minister, Brian Mulroney did not fear doing business with the American giant. Thanks to its good relationship with George Bush, Canada signed a historic free trade agreement.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY Bill McCarthy
“It is a very structuring policy for the Canadian economy,” nevertheless believes Mr. Arès, noting that free trade is still the subject of a broad consensus in the country. “Our domestic market is too small, so just the fact that a Canadian entrepreneur can include the American market in his business plan has completely changed our perception of economic development,” he says.
Brian Mulroney’s international legacy is colossal. Among other things, he was the instigator of the Acid Rain Treaty, signed in 1991.
Photo provided by the Mulroney Family
At the United Nations Conference in Rio, Brian Mulroney explains Canada’s position on the environment, a sector where the former prime minister also left his mark.
Photo provided by the Mulroney Family
The privatization ball
Brian Mulroney also left his mark on the economic front by launching the privatization of several state-owned companies, including Canadair, Air Canada, Petro-Canada, Teleglobe and Canadian National.
“It put an end to the pressure from deputies full of good faith who called the president of CN saying: ‘You know, there is this guy who is very competent, who would be good as a track supervisor… Would you be ready to meet him ?” There were a lot of people who were engaged like that,” says Mr. Tellier, who was CEO of the rail carrier from 1992 to 2002.
“We still reduced the workforce by 15,000 people while increasing the volumes of goods transport,” he adds.
Mr. Mulroney, however, did not go as far into neoliberalism as Margaret Thatcher, his British counterpart. “He understood the role of unions, he was never anti-union,” notes Paul Tellier.
Brian Mulroney and Robert Bourassa attended the unveiling of the new Canadair/Bombardier regional jet in Montreal in May 1991.
Bombardier archive photo
The GST, political tomb
It is obviously impossible to take stock of the Mulroney years without talking about the GST, which was his political grave.
“We can wonder where we would be today, with the current government’s immense deficits, if we did not have the GST,” slips Mr. Tellier.
Brian Mulroney advised Justin Trudeau in his approach with President Donald Trump to protect Canada’s free trade gains. They are seen later, in June 2023, at St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia, while visiting a replica of Mr. Mulroney’s former office.
Archive photo, The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese
With privatizations, the hated tax helped Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin to curb federal deficits years later, recalls Mathieu Arès.