Friends and admirers remember Brian Mulroney for momentous policies that changed Canada

From championing free trade to opposing racial apartheid in South Africa, former prime minister Bri‐ an Mulroney left a remark‐ able and indelible imprint on Canadian history.

Condolences have been pouring since news broke that the nation's 18th prime minister had died just shy of his 85th birthday. His daugh‐ ter Caroline Mulroney shared the news Thursday afternoon on social media.

"He had the courage to do big things," said Prime Minis‐ ter Justin Trudeau. "He shaped our past, but he shapes our present, and he will impact our future, as well."

His friends and admirers spoke both of the late states‐ man's ambitious (and some‐ times divisive) political agen‐ da and the extraordinary per‐ sonal connections he forged along the way.

WATCH | Trudeau re‐ members Mulroney: 'He was committed to this country':

"I'll never forget the in‐ sights he shared with me over the years - he was gen‐ erous, tireless, and incredibly passionate," said Trudeau.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Mul‐ roney also shared "candid ad‐ vice and generous mentor‐ ship" with him.

Poilievre praised Mul‐ roney's economic policies and achievements, including one of his most consequenti‐ al ones: brokering a free trade deal with the U.S.

"He unleashed free enter‐ prise, crushed inflation, re‐ stored fiscal sanity and con‐ cluded one of the greatest free trade agreements the world has ever seen, which remains largely in place to‐ day," said Poilievre.

"These changes gave thousands of working-class families the same opportuni‐ ties he had, that is, the chance to work hard, buy a home and build their dreams."

WATCH | Poilievre: Mul‐ roney had an 'encyclopedic mind'

Poilievre cited Mulroney's passionate and personal campaign against South Africa's apartheid system and his efforts to rally Common‐ wealth nations against it.

Talking to reporters

Thursday, Poilievre said a standout moment for him was when Mulroney com‐ pared his beloved wife Mila to Anaida Poilievre

"He said, 'She is your best friend, she will be your best adviser,'" he said. "That was very touching."

Former Quebec premier Jean Charest remembered Mulroney as not only a men‐ tor and friend, but "almost a father figure."

WATCH | Mulroney was 'transformational' as PM, Charest says:

"His period in politics was a different world. It was a time when people went into politics with an idea and an understanding that you had to make difficult decisions and accept that they would be unpopular because they were necessary," he told CBC News.

"And the good things and the bad things come with the job, but you have a deep re‐ sponsibility towards the country and towards history. He was transformational as a prime minister and so he changed our lives and for the better."

Charest served in Mul‐ roney's cabinet and was later tapped to chair a special committee to study a pro‐ posed companion resolution to the Meech Lake Accord.

Bouchard says he and Mulroney reconciled later in life

The failed accord would have recognized Quebec as a "dis‐ tinct society" within Canada and would have extended greater powers to the provinces.

It's failure lead to a bitter falling-out between former old friends Mulroney and Lu‐ cien Bouchard, who quit cab‐ inet and went on to form the Bloc Québécois.

Bouchard said they mended fences in the last month and had dinner on Friday with their wives.

"We had reconciled, but very late. Too late. So many years lost," he told CBC News in Montreal. "We felt very strong for what we thought and fought for, so it can ex‐ plain things but at the end of the day it's a lot of years lost for a marvellous friendship."

Former prime minister Stephen Harper remem‐ bered him as a man who "stood for freedom and democracy on the world stage."

"Canada has lost a historic figure," he said.

Ontario Progressive Con‐ servative Premier Doug Ford remembered Mulroney for another defining attribute: his way with words.

"It didn't matter if it was a private conversation or a speech to thousands, Brian had an ability to capture a crowd and keep them capti‐ vated with his endless supply of stories," said Ford in a statement.

"Anyone who heard him speak walked away in awe."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh praised Mulroney's en‐ vironmental policies, includ‐ ing his successful efforts to convince U.S. President Ronald Reagan to sign the acid rain treaty to curb sulfur dioxide emissions that were destroying waterways.

"He made an important contribution to Canada, in‐ cluding protecting our envi‐ ronment - leading the world in tackling acid rain and ban‐ ning chemicals that were de‐ stroying the ozone layer," he said.

WATCH | Chretien fondly remembers conversations with Mulroney:

Former Liberal prime min‐ ister Jean Chrétien, who spent swaths of his career ar‐ guing with Mulroney, com‐ pared their relationship to a game of hockey.

"You can fight on the ice, but have a beer afterwards together, and we had a lot of things in common," he said. "He was involved in many controversial files. It's better to be involved than not to be involved."

Chrétien said Mulroney's family, including his four chil‐ dren, can be proud of their father.

Charest said he travelled to Florida to see Mulroney over the weekend for what ultimately became a sad "but beautiful moment."

"Already at that time he said to me, 'I'm not trying to finish the year,' and I tried to convince him of the con‐ trary," he said.

"He's Irish - he was sad, sometimes feeling a little sor‐ ry for where he was, and then joyous. He had a great sense of humour. I reminded him how lucky he was that I elected him. We had a great laugh."

Former U.S. president George W. Bush described Mulroney as "smart and charming, fun and kind," in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Bush expressed sadness at Mulroney's death and credited him with helping end the Cold War. Referenc‐ ing Mulroney's close relation‐ ship with his father, Bush quoted from Mulroney's words at the elder Bush's fu‐ neral: "But the best ships are friendships, and may they al‐

ways be.

"May his ship sail on in fair winds and following seas," the statement from Bush and his wife, Laura, said.

In honour of his death, the flags on the Peace Tower and all federal buildings and establishments in Canada will be flown at half mast un‐ til his funeral, which has not yet been announced.

The House of Commons adjourned Thursday at news of his passing.