Independent and employee owned - local news stories, weather, sports, events and more
Canadians loved him: In 1984, they handed the youthful charmer a blank cheque and the largest majority mandate in history so he could change the country.
Even after leaving office, he couldn’t shake the suspicions that dogged him, especially allegations that swirled around an Air Canada purchase of Airbus jets in 1988. In 1997, he won an out-of-court settlement with the then-Liberal government in a libel suit over an RCMP investigation of the Airbus matter.
Born March 20, 1939, in the isolated smelting town on Quebec’s North Shore, his Baie-Comeau years had a profound influence on him. His political choice was a bizarre one for a young Quebecer at a time when the Liberals had a stranglehold on federal politics in that province. These friends would get him to the ball. They would also be among those who would bring him some of his greatest heartache at evening’s end.
The inquiry produced sensational headlines of union sabotage and scandalous cost overruns. It also put the effortlessly bilingual young lawyer with the honey-coated baritone on television screens every evening. Joe Clark, then a little-known backbench MP from Alberta, passed Mulroney on the second ballot and won the convention on the third.His bitterness manifested itself in late-night drinking binges where he biliously poured out his contempt for Clark.
They ran a bruising guerrilla war against Clark and were elated when Clark told a party convention in 1983 that he would hold a leadership vote despite having the backing of two-thirds of his party. Mulroney won the convention primarily on his promise to open the door to the Tories in Quebec. That door had been bolted shut to Conservatives with one exception since Louis Riel was hanged a century earlier.
The bilingual Mulroney did what the unilingual Diefenbaker could not: On Nov. 21, 1988, he won a second majority mandate after a hard-fought election on free trade with the United States.Tories hoping Mulroney would become Canada’s version of John F. Kennedy had those hopes dashed when age-old political practices such as patronage begat age-old political scandals.
“Universality is a sacred trust,” Mulroney declared during the campaign. Six months later, the sacred trust was up for review in an economic statement by then-finance minister Michael Wilson. No mention was made of the subject during the election. In 1985, his government opened negotiations with the Americans and the free trade deal took effect Jan. 1, 1989.
Not since Confederation had any prime minister been able to strike a unanimous agreement on the Constitution. Mulroney was devastated by the defection and embittered by Bouchard’s decision to form the pro-sovereignty Bloc Québécois and fight against everything Mulroney believed in.“I don’t want to talk about that,” he said during an interview with The Canadian Press in 1992. “I might have something to say about it someday, but not now.”
That loss, coupled with the defection of Bouchard and six other Tories to the Bloc Quebecois, briefly debilitated Mulroney. He changed the way Canadians are taxed by bringing in the Goods and Services Tax. The measure was aimed at replacing a hidden tax. Canadians didn’t hide their scorn for it. He announced his resignation on Feb. 24, the least popular prime minister in the history of modern polling. He officially left office in June and his successor, Kim Campbell, led the Tories to destruction just weeks later.
Mulroney testified he accepted the money to lobby foreign governments on behalf of Schreiber, contradicting Schreiber’s claim that the money was for lobbying the Canadian government. After the release of Oliphant’s report, a poll suggested that almost two-thirds of Canadians felt that they’d had enough of the Mulroney-Schreiber affair, and that Oliphant should be the last word on the subject.
He pointed out that free trade, which is now seen as a foundation of national prosperity, was condemned as a sell-out when first negotiated.He has defended his close relationship with Reagan, which was viewed with deep suspicion by many Canadians. He credits the friendship with helping push through the acid rain treaty and the free trade deal.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney dead at 84The country's 18th prime minister died peacefully today surrounded by family, according to a social media post by his daughter Caroline
Read more »
Ontario Premier Doug Ford issues statement following death of former prime minister Brian MulroneyOntario Premier Doug Ford released a statement Thursday following the death of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, calling the 18th leader of Canada a 'role model.'
Read more »
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney diesFormer Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney has died at the age of 84. His daughter, Ontario provincial cabinet minister Caroline Mulroney, made the announcement on social media. Brian Mulroney served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.
Read more »
Ford reacts to death of former prime minister Brian MulroneyOntario Premier Doug Ford called former prime minister Brian Mulroney a “mentor” and an “advisor” after the news of his death broke Thursday evening.
Read more »
Brian Mulroney, one of Canada's most divisive prime ministers, dead at 84Canada's construction news
Read more »
Brian Mulroney, one of Canada's most consequential prime ministers, is dead at 84Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Brian Mulroney speaks to delegates at an informal gathering in a hotel suite in Ottawa, ON Feb. 18, 1976.
Read more »