Brian Mulroney, the 18th Prime Minister of Canada, passed away on February 29th, 2024 at the age of 84.

Mr. Mulroney served as Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.

He was born March 20th, 1939 in Baie-Comeau, Quebec to Benedict Martin and Mary Irene Mulroney. He would study law and politic science. During his time at St. Francis Xavier University he would win several public speaking contests was a star member of the school’s debating team.

Mr. Mulroney would run for Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 1976, losing to Joe Clark, who would go on to win a minority Government in 1979. After losing in the leadership campaign, he would become a Vice President, and later President, of Iron Ore Company of Canada leading him to develop contacts in the business world. In 1983, he would defeat Joe Clark to become the new Leader of the Progressive Consevatives.

In 1984, Mr, Mulroney would lead the Progressive Conservatives to victory defeating the incumbent Liberals under John Turner (Mr. Turner had succeeded Pierre Elliott Trudeau earlier in the year), winning 211 of 282, the largest number of seats won by a party. He would win a second term in 1988, becoming the first Progressive Conservative Prime Minister since Sir John A. MacDonald to win two consecutive Majority Governments. As of the time of his death, this feat has not been accomplished again by a Progressive Conservative/Conservative Prime Minister.

His first term saw an increase to VIA Rail’s funding (resulting in the restoration to several services, before ultimately seeing VIA Rail’s budget cut in half in 1990), increasing the child tax credit, reducing the Federal Deficit from $37.2 billion to $28 billion, eliminated business tax loopholes, and started the process of selling off 23 crown corporations.

In 1988, his Government would apologize to Japanese-Canadians for the Japanese Canadian internment policy during World War II.

Mr, Mulroney would change the Progressive Conservatives traditional trading policy away from prioritizing trade with Commonwealth countries to the U.S., leading to Canada entering the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA.)

However, his term as Prime Minister was not without controversy:

• He would make two attempts to amend the Canadian Constitution in order to get Quebec to sign the Constitution: the Meech Lake Accord (1987) and the Charlottetown Accord in 1992.

• His Government would pass the Goods and Services Tax (GST), but had to use a clause in the Constitution to add ‘extra’ Senators in order to gain a Progressive Conservative Majority in the Senate to pass the legislation. At the time, the GST was unpopular with many.

• During his time in office, he would see support for the Progressive Conservatives split with the creation of the Reform Party under Preston Manning, and the Bloc Québécois under his former Quebec lieutenant, Lucien Bouchard. Seeing the writing on the wall, he would resign in 1993. His successor, Kim Campbell, would be Prime Minister and party leader, as the Liberals under Jean Chrétien would win a majority Government and the Progressive Conservatives drop to two seats. The party would never come to power again until 2006 after its’ merger with the Reform Party (later renamed the ‘Canada Alliance.’)

Three of Mr. Mulroney’s greatest succesess were his opposition to Apartheid in South Africa, something that put him at odds with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; his support for release of Nelson Mandela; and the passage of the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement, one of his last acts as Prime Minister.

In retirement, Mr. Mulroney would see more controversy as his involvemrnt in the Airbus affair and acceptance of $225,000 payment from Karlheinz Schreiber in exchange for Government contracts.

Mr. Mulroney was married to Mila Pivnički from 1973, and together they had four children: Caroline, Benedict (Ben), Mark and Nicolas. Caroline Mulroney is currently Ontario’s minister of transportation and minister of Francophone affairs, and his son Ben is a television host.

Mr. Mulreony passed away on February 29th, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida after a fall.