Robbie wrote: ↑Thu Feb 29, 2024 4:02 pm
RIP Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024)
Any thoughts and memories of him?
He was very popular in 1984 when he and his Progressive Conversative party won a landslide with the reason being that Canadians were very tired of the Liberal party.
He continued to be very popular in 1988 when he was re-elected because Canadians approved of free trade and NAFTA.
Unfortunately in his second term, he suddenly became very unpopular because of the failure of the Meech Lake Accord and then the Charlottetown Accord, the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on January 1, 1991, and a recession hit in the early 1990's. Knowing he became very unpopular, he chose to resign on June 13, 1993 and but legacy was left for PC party and in the October 25, 1993 the PC party under Kim Campbell was reduced to 2 seats.
We will definitely not see his like again as another giant of Canadian politics passes away. Like Ed Broadbent Mulroney was a decent man.
I just watched CPAC and caught one of his speeches in the House which from the context was his first speech on the Speech from the Throne where it was full of humour and devoid of the circus we see now in Parliament where even the toxi attacks are scripted and messaged. He was referencing Jean Chretien at one part of the speech by calling him the member for Shawinigan Toronto and you can laughter and no cat calls. Those were the days when the barbs weren't hateful as they are now.
Sadly our youth will never know those times and how these people did politics. Foreign minister Joli said today she called him before every trip to the USA and her takeway was politics should be about people, relationships and not hate as we see now.
His behind the scenes help with Trump reopening the NAFTA and many other initiatives behind the scenes including supporting the current gov'ts handling of the pandemic and economy is what characterizes his approach to politics.
Ending apartheid and getting Mandela out and acid rain and other environmental positives were good things.
The downside to his leadership was following the harsh policies of Thatcher and Reagan that decimated and weekened even until now the not for profit sectors who before those years in the 80s had strong voices for consumers as funding helped make them able to do their own research and sit on government committees with background data. In the social services the practices in helping families etc were spawned in the not for profit sector and gravitated to government services once proven. Now it's all short term funding and grants and less innovation is being seen.
It was hillarious and he credited John Turner now the Leader of the Opposition for his list of ills wrong with Canada that he cited in getting the Liberal Leadership only to sing a different tune (not his words) campaigning as he said he loved the outcome of Turner winning. Politically his win over Chretien was the downfall of the Liberals under John Turner. He like Paul Martin later on who looked like Golden Boys as ministers were horrible as short term Prime Ministers.