Brian Mulroney

The Right Honourable Martin Brian Mulroney, PC , CC , GOQ , LL.D (born March 20, 1939), was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993.

Legacy

Like many former national leaders, Mulroney appears to be greatly concerned with how he will be viewed by history. He makes the case that his once radical policies on the economy and free trade were not reversed by subsequent governments. Mulroney regards this as vindication.

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Two of his most controversial moves entered were the 1988 free trade agreement and the 1992 Goods and Services Tax. Although the Tories were re-elected with a large majority in 1988 campaigning on free trade (mostly due to support in the western provinces and Quebec), they only won with 43% of the popular vote, compared to 56% of the vote which went to both the Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party who campaigned mostly against the free trade agreement (but the whole campaign was not just about free trade, as polls at the time showed that the majority of Canadians supported free trade).

Related Topics:
Goods and Services Tax - Liberal Party of Canada - New Democratic Party

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Environmentalists, social activists, nationalists, labour leaders and members of the cultural community continue to complain today of alleged injustices Canada faces due to free trade. Free Trade is not dead as an issue, but has been put on the back burner compared to issues like health care, the Kyoto Protocol, the gun registry, child care, taxation, equalization payments and the Atlantic accord.

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The "in your face" nature of the Goods and Services Tax proved to be very unpopular. The GST was created for two purposes, to help eliminate the ever growing deficit and to replace the hidden Manufacturer's sales tax (which Mulroney claimed was hurting business). On large purchases Canadians paid pretty much the same as before, but on small purchases Canadians paid far more and could also see how much they were being taxed which angered them.

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Mulroney's intense unpopularity at the time of his resignation led many Conservative politicians to distance themselves from him for some years. Mulroney began to re-emerge in the late 1990s as something of an elder statesman, but that perception is not universally shared. Former Ontario premier and liberal David Peterson, who stood by Mulroney through the wrangling over the Meech Lake Accord, is quoted as saying he would "never trust" the former prime minister. "He is a pathological liar," Peterson says. "In fairness, I don't believe he knows he's lying ... you couldn't take anything he said at face value. His essential Achilles heel is his baloney." Many Canadians still regard Mulroney as a polarizing figure.

Related Topics:
1990s - David Peterson

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Social conservatives also found fault with Mulroney in a variety of areas. These include his opposition to both capital punishment and the outlawing of abortion, his tax increases and his failure to curtail expansion of "big government" programs and political patronage. However, Mulroney's view on those positions established him in the eyes of social conservatives as a Red Tory (most Red Tories would disagree), though for most of his tenure he was moderate enough to be electable across Canada. Leaders of the Reform and Canadian Alliance, have been known to be Blue Tories on social and financial issues, which has solidified their support in Alberta but failed to make headway in the more centralized Ontario, Quebec or Atlantic region (once PC strongholds).

Related Topics:
Abortion - Big government - Patronage - Red Tory - Blue Tories - Strongholds

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The initially unflattering view of Mulroney's legacy began when he was replaced as Prime Minister and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party by Defence Minister Kim Campbell. She suffered a stunning electoral defeat in the 1993 election. Many blamed Mulroney not only for his unpopular policies, but also because Mulroney had stayed on as leader for almost the entire mandate, only resigning at the last minute in 1993 when an election would have to be called not long after and leaving Campbell with little time to consolidate her leadership. The Canadian political right had fragmented during Mulroney's tenure. Many veteran Cabinet Ministers and MPs decided not to run for re-election. Western conservatives left the Progressive Conservative party for the new Reform Party, and Quebec conservatives left to join the separatist Bloc Québécois and the Liberals. This fragmentation contributed to the defeat of the Progressive Conservative Party, and left it a marginal force in the House of Commons. The Canadian right was not reunited until the December 2003 merger of the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance (successor to the Reform Party) to form the new Conservative Party of Canada.

Related Topics:
Kim Campbell - 1993 election - Reform Party - Bloc Québécois - December - 2003 - Canadian Alliance - Conservative Party of Canada

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Mulroney played an influential role by supporting the merger at a time when former Progressive Conservative leaders such as Joe Clark and Kim Campbell either opposed it or expressed ambivalence.

Related Topics:
Joe Clark - Kim Campbell

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Mulroney had also been attacked for his relationship with the U.S. by Jean Chrétien, who had a good relationship with Bill Clinton. Chrétien attacked Mulroney for his friendships with both Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Related Topics:
Jean Chrétien - Bill Clinton - Ronald Reagan - George H.W. Bush

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