Who was Brian Mulroney?
Answer
Canada's 18th Prime Minister (1984 to 1993), a Progressive Conservative who negotiated the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and the GST tax reform.
Explanation
Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 to February 29, 2024) was Canada's 18th Prime Minister, serving from September 17, 1984 to June 25, 1993. Mulroney was a Progressive Conservative and led the party from 1983 to 1993. He won two consecutive majorities in 1984 (with 211 of 282 seats, the largest majority in Canadian history) and 1988 (with 169 of 295 seats), but his popularity collapsed in the early 1990s.
Mulroney was born in Baie-Comeau, Quebec and trained as a labour lawyer. He was president of the Iron Ore Company of Canada before entering politics. He won the 1983 PC leadership convention against incumbent Joe Clark and led the Progressive Conservatives to a landslide victory over John Turner's Liberals in the September 4, 1984 federal election.
Mulroney's principal achievements include the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (signed October 4, 1987 by Mulroney and US President Ronald Reagan, in force January 1, 1989) and its expansion into the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA, signed December 17, 1992, in force January 1, 1994). The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced January 1, 1991, replacing the older Manufacturers' Sales Tax. The Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1988 gave statutory force to federal multiculturalism policy. Mulroney also introduced the Indian Self-Government Act of 1986 (the Sechelt Indian Band Self-Government Act, the first modern self-government act).
Mulroney's government attempted constitutional reform twice, both unsuccessfully. The 1987 Meech Lake Accord (designed to bring Quebec into the constitutional family) failed to ratify by June 23, 1990 after Manitoba (where MLA Elijah Harper held up debate) and Newfoundland (where Premier Clyde Wells declined to ratify) did not pass it. The 1992 Charlottetown Accord was rejected by Canadians in a national referendum on October 26, 1992 (54.3 per cent No). Other Mulroney milestones include the apology and redress for Japanese Canadian wartime internment (September 22, 1988) and the federal Multiculturalism Act of the same year. Mulroney retired in June 1993 with low popularity; the Progressive Conservatives were subsequently devastated in the October 1993 federal election under his successor Kim Campbell, falling from 169 seats to 2.
Why this matters for your test
Brian Mulroney transformed Canadian trade policy with the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA. Recognising the 1989 FTA and 1991 GST gives candidates two specific anchors.
Source: Library and Archives Canada; Dictionary of Canadian Biography
