Mourning in Canada
Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney dies
Died at the age of 84: Brian Mulroney. photo
© Justin Tang/The Canadian Press/AP/dpa
He strengthened relations with his neighbor USA and supported the NAFTA free trade agreement. Now Canada’s former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney has died at the age of 84.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney has died at the age of 84. His daughter Caroline wrote on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that he fell asleep peacefully surrounded by his family. Canada’s current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised Mulroney as an “extraordinary statesman” and someone “who had the courage to do great things.”
The Progressive Conservative Party (PC) politician was the country’s 18th Prime Minister and served from 1984 to 1993. His greatest achievement is considered to be the negotiation of the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) between Mexico, the USA and Canada, which came into force in 1994. Mulroney also strengthened relations with the neighboring USA and spoke out against apartheid in South Africa.
Into politics as a lawyer
Mulroney was born in the province of Quebec to Irish immigrants and spoke both English and French. In the 1960s, the eloquent lawyer moved into politics. With his Progressive Conservative Party he won an overwhelming election victory in 1984.
However, he fell from grace in his second term. Contributing factors were the ongoing recession, high unemployment, the introduction of new taxes and the failure of a constitutional reform that was intended to integrate the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec more closely into the federation with more rights.
“Whether anyone agrees with our solutions or not, no one will accuse us of shirking our responsibilities by ignoring the most contentious issues of our time,” he said in his resignation speech.