Burning chapel in Ottawa to pay tribute to Brian Mulroney: hundreds of people came

Dignitaries and members of the general public came by the hundreds despite a dry cold on Tuesday for Brian Mulroney’s state of affairs in the federal capital, where the flags have still been at half-mast since his death.

• Read also: Here’s how to pay tribute to the former Prime Minister of Canada this week

“I think my father would have really liked a day like that,” said Ben, second son of the couple Brian and Mila Mulroney, in an interview with TVA.

He wanted to thank the public for their “generosity”. In the morning, there were so many dignitaries that it was necessary to delay the opening to the general public by around fifty minutes.

All day, the Mulroney family stood shaking hands and receiving condolences. She is preparing to repeat the exercise tomorrow in Ottawa, then Thursday and Friday in Montreal. The former Prime Minister’s last visit to Parliament Hill was settled like clockwork.

• Listen to the interview with Raymond Filion, parliamentary correspondent for TVA on QUB:

A solemn kick-off

It was around 9:30 a.m. that the remains of the former prime minister arrived at the Sir John A. Macdonald building, a stone’s throw from parliament, in the most solemn silence.

Justin Trudeau was one of the first to greet the family, followed by other representatives from the highest levels of the Canadian government, including the Governor General, Mary Simon, and her predecessors, David Johnston and Michaëlle Jean.

The latter paid tribute to a man who was of personal help to her. “In the most difficult times, he was always there and his words were always right,” said the woman who was governor general from 2005 to 2010.

Former rival turned essential collaborator, Joe Clark spoke of a character whose burning “ambition” “transformed the country”.

Coming to pay tribute to him, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, recalled his attempts to reintegrate Quebec into the Canadian constitutional fold. “I think he meant it for real,” he said.

In addition to Mr. Blanchet, Jagmeet Singh, of the NDP, and the co-leaders of the Green Party, Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pednault, all paid tribute to Mr. Mulroney’s career.

The general public responds

The general public, made up of people of all kinds, was quick to attend. You had to arm yourself with patience and warm socks before going through security, then greet the Mulroneys.

“He inspires me to persevere, that it’s always worth trying!” said Jean-Guy Gauthier, from Gatineau, standing in line. “He tried hard to bring Quebec back into the constitutional fold, and I think that if there was someone today who tried, it might be worth it!”

For Binyam Solomon, professor of economics at Carleton University, Brian Mulroney “was a visionary” who put public finances in order “so that the next generation of prime ministers could spend.”