Former PM Mulroney, driver of US free trade deal, dies at 84
TORONTO: Canada’s 18th Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, considered one of the most popular leaders the country had in recent history, passed away on Thursday at the age of 84.
Mulroney, who first became PM in a landslide victory in 1984, was also the country’s leader when its suffered its worst-ever terror attack, the bombing of Air India flight 182, the Kanishka, by Khalistani extremists on June 23, 1985, leading to the loss of 329 lives, while two baggage handlers in Tokyo’s Narita airport died from a blast from another bomb on a different airplane.
Mulroney’s death was announced in a post on X by his daughter Caroline Mulroney, who is also a provincial Cabinet Minister in Ontario. “He died peacefully, surrounded by family,” she posted.
“As we mourn his passing and keep his family and friends in our thoughts, let us also acknowledge – and celebrate – Mr Mulroney’s role in building the modern, dynamic, and prosperous country we all know today,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.
Mulroney, who was a Conservative, led his party to a sweeping win in the 1984 Federal elections, capturing 211 out of 282 seats in the House of Commons.
He bested then-PM Pierre Eliot Trudeau, the late father of the current incumbent.
Born on March 20, 1939, in the town of Baie-Comeau in Quebec, Mulroney was PM for nearly nine years, after assuming the office in on September 17, 1984 and demitting it in June 25, 1993.
He was hailed for his work in crafting the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and for being among the first Western leaders to challenge the apartheid regime in South Africa, for which he was thanked by Nelson Mandela.
He was in office for just over nine months when the Kanishka terrorist bombing occurred, with the victims mainly Canadian citizens.