Brian Mulroney will have a 'right and fitting tribute,' says Trudeau - Action News
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Brian Mulroney will have a 'right and fitting tribute,' says Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday the state funeral for the late Brian Mulroney will be a "right and fitting tribute" for a titan of Canadian politics.

Former Progressive Conservative prime minister dead at 84

A man high fives a crowd of people dressed in red and white for Canada Day.
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney greets Canada Day crowds on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on July 1, 1991. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday the state funeral for the late Brian Mulroney will be a "right and fitting tribute" for a titan of Canadian politics.

Mulroney, Canada's 18th prime minister, died peacefully surrounded by his family, his daughter Caroline Mulroney saidThursday. A family spokespersonsaid Mulroney died in a Palm Beach hospital, where he'd been since a recent fall.

"He marked the history of this country, he marked the present of this country and it is right that we all are reflecting on him and his family today and for many days to come," Trudeau said Friday morning.

The prime ministersaid planning is underway for a state funeral, a special public event reserved for eminent Canadians, including former prime ministers.

"We're working with the family closely to ensure that all of their wishes are respected and that it be the right and fitting tribute to him," said Trudeau.

Trudeau said there also will be opportunities for the public to offer their condolences.

Flags are flying at half-mast on government buildings, including the Peace Tower in Ottawa,and abook of condolences has been set up for members of Parliament to sign.

Two men, one middle-age and one older, both wearing suits, stand in a wood-clad room next to a Canada flag and a desk.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, is offered a seat at the desk by former prime minister Brian Mulroney while touring a replica of Mr. Mulroney's former parliamentary office in Mulroney Hall at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. on Monday, June 19, 2023. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)

"Canada is in mourning," said Liberal House leader Steve MacKinnon.

Mulroney, a charismatic leader from Baie-Comeau, Que., led the country and the Progressive Conservatives from 1984 to 1993.

Mulroney pursued politics in a way that earned him devoted supporters and equally passionate critics. He's remembered as gifted public speaker with a unmistakable baritone, and a skilled politician.

WATCH |At Issue | Brian Mulroney's legacy

At Issue | How Brian Mulroney changed Canada

6 months ago
Duration 10:08
Looking back at the legacy of Brian Mulroney, a former prime minister who is remembered for the humanity of his politics and his willingness to tackle big issues, as well as major and divisive moves on taxes and trade.

As prime minister, he improved Canada's relationship with the U.S while brokering a free trade deal. Through his close friendshipwith U.S. President Ronald Reagan, he pushed for an acid rain treaty to curb the sulfur dioxide emissions that were destroying waterways andsigned a North American air defence modernization agreement to better protect the continent from a ballistic missile attack.

Domestically,he pushed for constitutional reforms to secure Quebec's signature on Canada's supreme law an effort he defended as a way to unite Canada from the separatist movement, butwhich ultimately failed.

He also introduced a national sales tax to raise funds against ballooning budget deficits, privatized some Crown corporations and stood strongly against racial apartheid in South Africa.

Despite being dogged by corruption allegations after leaving politics, he worked to rehabilitate his legacy and was known to provideadvice to a new generation ofpoliticians.

'A happy warrior'

News of Mulroney's death led to a flood of condolences and personal anecdotes from across the political spectrum andaround the world.

Former Progressive Conservative prime minister Joe Clark, who served from 1979-1980, called it "a great loss to the country."

"He sympathized, I think it's fair to say, with other governments dealing with tough problems. He gave advice to them from from time to time. But in my experience with him, he was not despondent," Clark told CBC's As it Happens.

"He was a very cheerful, forward-looking person. Tough sometimes, obviously he was involved in conflicts as well as successes, but I think that he would have wanted to be remembered as a happy warrior, and I think he was a happy warrior."

 Brian Mulroney and Joe Clark meet on the floor of the Conservative leadership convention in Ottawa, June 11, 1983. The Conservative partys past flashed before its eyes Wednesday, in the form of renewed claims that foreign money was raised by backers of Mulroney to help undermine  Clarks leadership in 1983.
Brian Mulroney and Joe Clark meet on the floor of the Conservative leadership convention in Ottawa, June 11, 1983. The Conservative partys past flashed before its eyes Wednesday, in the form of renewed claims that foreign money was raised by backers of Mulroney to help undermine Clarks leadership in 1983. (Peter Bregg/Canadian Press)

Mulroney dethronedClark as leader of the Progressive Conservatives during the 1983 leadership convention, riding on the strength of his support among delegates from Quebec.

Still, Clark said he was always an admirer of Mulroney's vision.

"Despite our occasional differences," Clark said with a laugh, "I had the greatest admiration for his contribution to our country."

LISTEN: Brian Mulroney's death is 'a great loss to the country,' says former PM Joe Clark
Former prime minister Joe Clark talks to As It Happens host Nil Kksal about the life and legacy of Brian Mulroney, Canada's 18th prime minister, who died on Thursday at the age of 84. Despite our occasional differences, Clark said with a chuckle, I had the greatest admiration for his contribution to our country.

Former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrtien, who faced off against Mulroney before he exitedpolitics,notedhis former political rivalwas involved "in many controversial files."

"It's better to be involved than not to be involved," he said.

'May his soul rest in peace'

Early in his time in office, Mulroney launched an aggressive push within the Commonwealth for sanctions to pressure the South African government to dismantle apartheid, its racist caste system, and to release Nelson Mandela from prison, where he had been locked up for a quarter century.

In a media statement, South African President Cyril Ramaphosasaid Mulroney "holds a special place in South Africa's history."

Nelson Mandela greets people as he walks with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on his arrival in Ottawa, ON June 17, 1990 for a three-day visit to Canada.
Nelson Mandela greets people as he walks with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on his arrival in Ottawa, ON June 17, 1990 for a three-day visit to Canada. (The Canadian Press/Wm. DeKay) (Wm. DeKay/Canadian Press)

"During his term, he spoke out against apartheid, advocated the economic isolation of the regime and took a stand when many in the international community were wavering," he said.

"For us, his passing is made profound by the fact that we have lost this friend and ally in the year in which we are marking 30 years of freedom and in which we pay tribute to all those around the world who supported our struggle for freedom and democracy. May his soul rest in peace."

U.S. President Joe Biden also praised Mulroney's anti-apartheid advocacy.

"Mulroney was fearless and not afraid to stand up for causes he cared about, like advocating against racial apartheid in South Africa," he wrote.

"I got to know the prime minister when I served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Isaw firsthand his commitment to the friendship between our two nations."

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, right, and former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, left, gather for a conference on NAFTA at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2002. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-J. Scott Applewhite
Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, right, and former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, left, gather for a conference on NAFTA at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2002. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-J. Scott Applewhite (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)

In a statement published on social media, former U.S. president George W. Bush said Mulroney was "charming, fun and kind."

"He developed a very close friendship with my dad," said Bush, referring tothe eulogy Mulroney delivered at former president George H.W. Bush's state funeral.

Mulroneyalso eulogized former presidentReagan.

Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyrZelenskyy, whose country is waging a bloody war to push backRussia's invasion, took time to rememberMulroney's impact on Ukrainians.

"Ukrainians will always remember that Brian Mulroney's government was the first in the Western Hemisphere to recognize Ukraine's independence in 1991. This laid a solid foundation for Ukraine and Canada to continue their true friendship," he wrote on social media.

With files from JP Tasker and the Canadian Press

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