Citizens braved the cold to greet former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney one last time as his funeral procession passed through the streets of Montreal.
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“I like everything that is protocol. The armed forces, the RCMP, we don’t see that all the time,” said Charles-Antoine Masson, 20 years old.
Photo Olivier Faucher
“It still had an impact on today’s economy with free trade. He leaves a good legacy. He tried to reconcile Quebec with the rest of Canada. Even if it didn’t work, he had this will and I think it’s important to underline it,” he adds.
“I work for Parks Canada. Everything that is Canadian history and heritage interests me.”
The temperature also did not prevent Stéphane Demers, 59, from traveling from Terrebonne on Saturday morning.
Photo Olivier Faucher
“I want to say one last hello to him. He was a great Quebecois. He preached a lot for the rest of us. I loved his simplicity, the fact that he got involved in lots of causes.”
Jean-Louis Martineau, from Villeroy, in Centre-du-Québec, for his part took advantage of a conference in Montreal to follow the procession.
Photo Anouk Lebel
“He was our Quebec premier, he was one of the good prime ministers; someone from the people, someone from Baie-Comeau who was not raised in the great dynasties. He was a family man,” underlines the 53-year-old citizen.
Several tourists who were visiting Old Montreal came across the funerals by chance and took the opportunity to admire all the protocol surrounding the event.
Among these were the two American friends Renee Starcevich and Amanda Huffstetler, from Chicago and North Carolina.
Photo Olivier Faucher
Mme Huffstetler particularly remembers Mr. Mulroney’s important role in the free trade agreement.
“We had a large textile and cotton industry. When the free trade agreement happened, the town where I lived basically shut down because everything moved to Mexico. It was very controversial, but today I think it was a good thing.”