'A page has turned for society': Montrealers pay their respects to former PM Mulroney

Dignitaries, family guests and members of the public paid their respects to Brian Mulroney in Montreal on Thursday.

The former prime minis‐ ter's family and his casket ar‐ rived Thursday morning at St. Patrick's Basilica for the first of two days of visitation ahead of Saturday's state fu‐ neral.

A biting wind blew and church bells rang as eight Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers in ceremonial red uniforms carried the casket adorned in a Canadian flag into the church.

Mulroney's family fol‐ lowed the casket into the church, where organ music played.

Later, dignitaries arrived, including former Quebec pre‐ miers and some of Mul‐ roney's former colleagues and even his political oppo‐ nents.

Lucien Bouchard, a former Quebec premier and childhood friend of Mul‐ roney's, remembered the fomer prime minister as a leader and said his death marked the changing of an era. The pair had recently rekindled their friendship.

"A page has turned for so‐ ciety," he said. "For us, peo‐ ple who knew him, it's a mo‐ ment where we say goodbye to a great statesman and a great friend to Quebec, also a friend from our youth."

Gilles Duceppe, a former leader of the Bloc Québecois and proponent of Quebec in‐ dependence, said Mulroney was one of the first people to call him after his father died, even though the two were not close.

"He was a caring man. He was authentic" he said. "I think we have to recognize the qualities not just of our friends who share the same cause as us but also of our adversaries. We live in a democracy."

Peter O'Brien, a warden at St. Patrick's Basilica who knew Mulroney through his activism in Quebec's Irish community, said he was mourning the loss of a friend.

Mulroney had remained active in the community until recently before his death, O'Brien said.

He remembered Mul‐ roney as someone whose charisma and enthusiasm was infectious.

"If you spent five minutes with him, you had a new best friend," he said.

Mulroney, who was born in Baie-Comeau, Que., and served as Canada's prime minister from 1984 to 1993, died on Feb. 29, 2024. His state funeral is set to be held Saturday at the Notre-Dame Basilica, in Old Montreal.

Until Saturday, his casket will lie in St. Patrick's Basilica, at 460 René-Lévesque Boule‐ vard West.

Dignitaries and family guests have been invited to express their sympathies to the Mulroney family Thurs‐ day morning.

Members of the public have been invited to pay their respects from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday and on

Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

After the dignitaries, members of the public lined up to pay their respects to Mulroney and offer condo‐ lences to his family.

First in line was Richard Daudelin, a former RCMP of‐ ficer who was Mulroney's chauffeur and bodyguard when Mulroney moved to Montreal after serving as prime minister.

He recalled Mulroney as a man who "looked you in the eyes and had a fantastic memory." He remembered

Mulroney asking about his family, his wife and kids, and remembering their names.

"A simple man but a great man," Daudelin said. "He was the very best prime minister we had in Canada because he was not only a man of canada he was a man of the earth."

Others in line, including Lesley Forrester, a former volunteer for Mulroney's run at the Progressive Conserva‐ tive leadership, also recalled Mulroney's knack for remem‐ bering names and making the people around him feel special.

"He 's a wonderful man," she said. "I was so sad when I heard he died."

Mulroney's son Ben told CBC Daybreak on Thursday that hearing from dignitaries and members of the public about the impact his father had on them has been a cathartic experience.

"Because of that we've been able to work through all sorts of feelings in the most wonderful way," he said.

On Wednesday evening, the Mulroney family gathered in Montreal to celebrate what would have been Brian Mul‐ roney's 85th birthday. They remembered him, laughed and ate some of his favourite foods.

His father, he said, would likely have been satisfied to see that he had a positive im‐ pact on so many people.

"I think he made Canada markedly better for a great many Canadians and I think that would make him happy."

Earlier this week, Mul‐ roney lay in state on Parlia‐ ment Hill in Ottawa and members of the public vis‐ ited his casket and paid their respects.

Mulroney has been de‐ scribed as one of Canada's most consequential prime ministers.

He negotiated a free trade agreement with the U.S., was a staunch opponent to apartheid in South Africa and introduced the goods and services tax (GST).

WATCH | Mark Mulroney looks back on his father's life: