On Feb. 29, 2024, Brian Mulroney, the 18th Prime Minister of Canada who served for two terms nearly a third of a century ago, passed away surrounded by family at the age of 84. What followed was an outpouring of condolences and tributes to the late statesman, from public figures on both sides of the isle. But for many Canadians who grew up after his time in office, or for those who were too young to remember him at all, the question remains, who was Brian Mulroney, and what did he do?
Beginnings
Although he came from a family of Irish immigrants, Mulroney grew up a Quebecer, and represented Quebecois districts in Parliament for the majority of his career. He was born in Baie-Comeau, in the eastern reaches of Quebec near the border with Labrador, on March 20, 1939.
At just 16, Mulroney entered university, beginning attendance at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, where he would live for most of his early career. A star member of his university’s debate club, and avid member of local student parliaments, Mulroney was recruited to join the Progressive-Conservative Party (Tory for short) in the runup to the 1956 party convention, managing to land himself a spot as a delegate at the age of 17.
A year later, Mulroney would graduate with a degree in Political Science and begin studying law, finally graduating in 1964 and beginning his career as a lawyer. Mulroney moved back to Quebec and joined the firm Ogilvy Renault, the largest law firm in Canada at the time. Specializing in labour law, he assisted in negotiating with the Iron Ore Company of Canada and Power Corporation of Canada, ending several strikes in and around Montreal.
Rise to Prominance
Although he had gained himself a sizable reputation within inter-party politics, Mulroney would soon launch himself to national prominence.
In 1974, the Premier of Quebec, Robert Bourassa, launched an investigation into the James Bay Hydroelectric Power Station Project after members of a local union initiated a riot in protest of the construction company. The investigation was headed by Robert Cliche, a former teacher of Mulroney and New Democratic Party (NDP) politician, who asked Mulroney to join him in the proceedings to avoid any partisan bias affecting the findings.
Cliche and Mulroney managed to reveal evidence connecting the Rizzuto crime family and mafia to the unions responsible for initiating the conflict, determining the riot itself was an attempt by mob leader André Desjardins to extort the company. However, the group also uncovered evidence that proved a member of Premier Bourassa’s staff had contacted Desjardins, offering construction contracts to Desjardins’ union in exchange for financial support in an upcoming election. The scandal made national headlines and received extensive media attention, giving Mulroney nation-wide fame.
Despite never having held political office, Mulroney knew he had popularity, notoriety, and enough political connections to launch a bid for the leadership of the Progressive-Conservatives.
Throughout the early 1980s, he gave political speaking tours which both boosted his image and gave the public a peek at his policies that were previously unknown. His aptly titled 1983 book “Where I Stand” elaborated on his policies and let the Tories know that Mulroney was a viable option for leadership. In 1983, incumbent Progressive Conservative Leader and former Prime Minister Joe Clark resigned in order to seek re-election as leader. Mulroney decided to run in the leadership race too, managing to beat Clark with a sizable margin of nearly 9%.
Prime Minister
In 1984, Mulroney would defeat incumbent Liberal Prime Minister John Turner and his party in a landslide, becoming the 18th Prime Minister of Canada.
A part of Mulroney’s early campaign promises had been a pledge to tighten the relations between Canada and the United States. On March 17th, 1985, Mulroney met with President Ronald Reagan to discuss the development of mutual trade agreements, which would lay the groundwork for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1992.
While the talks would greatly increase relations with the United States, many Canadians were alarmed by the new developments, claiming that Mulroney’s movements were simply pushing the “Americanization” of Canada. Outside North America, Mulroney took a broadly internationalist stance.
After a famine began in Ethiopia, Mulroney appointed Clark to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, who then persuaded the U.N. to deliver international aid efforts to the country. By the end of the crisis, Canada had contributed 10 percent of foreign aid expenditures alone. Mulroney also became one of the first western voices to condemn the apartheid state in South Africa, which segregated the majority black population from a ruling white minority. Mulroney pressured other western nations to institute sanctions on South Africa until they ended apartheid and released then-activist Nelson Mandela, and when others refused, he threatened to cut off all diplomatic relations with South Africa.
In the end, Mulroney’s tactics worked, and, in 1986, Canada joined many other western nations in issuing 11 new sanctions against South Africa. In 1990, the day following Mandela’s release from prison, he called Mulroney and thanked him for Canada’s efforts. The two would become and remain friends for the remainder of Mandela’s life.
Mulroney had promised the reduction of the federal deficit during the campaign, which had ballooned from $667 Million to $37.2 Billion during the 1970s. To accomplish this goal, Mulroney stopped adjusting income tax brackets with inflation, which meant the government could collect more money without directly raising taxes. He also eliminated several corporate tax loopholes, while also increasing rates on several “sin taxes”, including alcohol. With his new measures, the deficit decreased from $33 Billion in 1985 to $27 Billion in 1988. Mulroney also began to privatize many of Canada’s crown corporations, selling off 23 of them to private buyers.
Mulroney himself remained well aware of climate issues and the danger oil posed for the environment, an unusual concern for the time. In 1987, he hosted the Montreal Accords, in which 45 other nations agreed to implement measures to combat the production of chemicals proven to damage Earth’s ozone layer.
He also put pressure on President Reagan to address acid rain issues, and to implement measures to combat air pollution. Although Reagan was unwilling to negotiate the issue, Reagan’s successor, President George H.W. Bush, agreed to discussions. In 1991, the two leaders signed the U.S.–Canada Air Quality Agreement, which aimed to reduce the presence of acid rain-causing Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere. In both countries, over the next decade, air quality began to improve, and acid rain prevalence decreased significantly.
Mulroney remained popular throughout his first term, and managed to win re-election in the 1988 Election, although with a smaller margin of victory.
Second Term Troubles
By 1988, there was very little room for any more cuts to the budget, and a deficit of nearly $34 Billion Canadian dollars still remained. Mulroney was faced with an uncomfortable truth; raising taxes was the only way to solve the deficit crisis.
In August of 1989, Mulroney announced he would be introducing a Goods and Service Tax (GST) of nine percent to replace the existing 13.5 percent manufacturer’s sales tax, which only applied to domestically produced goods. The move, however, received widespread criticism in the media and among the public. Even after Mulroney begrudgingly reduced the GST to seven percent, nearly 80 percent of Canadians stood against its implementation.
Although Mulroney’s majority in the House allowed for easy passage, the Liberal-controlled Senate refused to consider the bill. To their dismay, however, the annoyed Mulroney would refuse to bend to Senatorial pressure. On Sep. 27, 1990, Mulroney would use an emergency constitutional provision which allowed him to appoint up to eight new Senators in the event of a deadlock in parliament. With these appointments, the new Tory-controlled Senate narrowly passed the GST reform. Although technically legal, Mulroney’s machinations received heavy criticism and contributed to a substantial decline in public approval.
As Canada entered into 1993, a general election was looming and Mulroney was one of the most unpopular Prime Ministers in history. The introduction of the GST, backlash over CUSFTA, and a worldwide recession that hit Canada hard in the early 1990s had led to the Prime Minister’s approval declining to around 10 percent, with election polling showing the Tories getting as little as 15 percent of the vote. It was all but certain the Tories would be destroyed if Mulroney remained as Prime Minister. In order to save his party from defeat, Mulroney announced he would resign as Prime Minister, leaving office on June 25th, 1993, and handing power to Kim Campbell.
Final years
Politically, Mulroney’s legacy has been mixed. Many praise his term as Prime Minister for his interest in environmental protection and clean air initiatives, along with his strong stance against apartheid South Africa and his contributions to global aid and relief efforts.
On the other hand, opponents of his administration point to the impact of NAFTA on the Canadian economy, and the impact of the introduction of new taxes. Overall, however, the historical consensus regarding Mulroney’s premiership has been average-to-positive. One ranking conducted by Maclean’s magazine in 2016 ranking him as the eight best Prime Minister in Canadian history. But whatever one’s personal position on Mulroney, it is impossible to deny his government has had a major influence on the shaping of modern-day Canada, and how our nation’s political landscape is today.
Sources:
- How Brian Mulroney spearheaded Canadian push to end apartheid in South Africa and free Nelson Mandela
- When Brian Mulroney was great | CBC News
- La commission Cliche en mémoire – MAGAZINE CONSTAS
- History Through Our Eyes: March 17, 1985, the Shamrock Summit | Montreal Gazette
- Brian Mulroney | The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Election of 1988 | The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Canada and NAFTA | The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Opinion polling for the 1988 Canadian federal election
- 1988 Canadian federal election
- 1993 Canadian federal election
- 1993 Progressive Conservative leadership election