Mulroney left indelible mark on N.L.
Former prime minister who signed Atlantic Accord died Thursday at age 84
CORNER BROOK — While many people will remember Brian Mulroney for his political life on the national stage, some won’t forget their personal encounters with the late prime minister.
Gerry Byrne Jr. first met Mulroney, who died Thursday at age 84, as a child while accompanying his dad, Corner Brook politician Gerry Byrne, during an event in Ottawa when the elder Byrne was a member of Parliament.
The younger Byrne got to forge his own personal connection with Mulroney after he began studying for his business degree at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., in the fall of 2020.
Mulroney was not just an alumnus of St. FX, but has a complex named after him at the campus.
The Brian Mulroney Institute of Government, housed in Mulroney Hall, oversees the university’s four-year public policy and governance program.
During his four years of studies, Byrne has attended numerous videoconferences for students with Mulroney expounding on his political experiences and offering insight on the development of public policy during his time in office.
Byrne also got to meet Mulroney in person many times, forging a bond in part because of the former prime minister’s familiarity with Corner Brook and western Newfoundland.
In 1984, during the federal election campaign, Mulroney came to Corner Brook to help give a boost to Progressive Conservative party hopeful and Corner Brook lawyer Mike Monaghan, who was also a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University.
Helping behind the scenes on Monaghan’s campaign was Seamus Gibbons, who is now Byrne Jr.’s grandfather.
“We talked a lot about that Corner Brook connection,” Byrne told Saltwire on Friday, March 1. “Brian Mulroney had lot of friends in Corner Brook through his St. FX days.”
But it was the political conversations he had with Mulroney and the knowledge he could glean from them that will always stand out for Byrne when remembering Mulroney.
“We’re living in a Canada that Brian Mulroney helped shape today as we see it, where somebody who comes from a political background on the other side of the House of Commons is able to speak openly and have great dialogue … whether you’re a Liberal, Conservative or NDP,” said Byrne. “We’re able to share that kind of centric dynamic and have that exchange of ideas to live Canada to its fullest on the basis of freedom.
“I think Brian Mulroney made his mark on Canada as trying to reunite Canada and bring everybody together.”
‘NEVER FORGOT HIS ROOTS’
There were many recalling their personal encounters with Mulroney on social media after the news of his death.
Dr. Todd Young, who operates Main Street Medical Clinic in Springdale, offered one such story.
He recounted how he had been sitting alone at the Chateau Laurier restaurant in Ottawa in November 2014 when he heard the distinctly deep voice of Mulroney ask him if he minded if he joined Young for coffee.
“For almost an hour we chatted,” Young wrote on his social media post about the chance meeting. “I was amazed by his character! Sincere, warm hearted, very funny, beautiful communicator, intelligent, analytical, and for his love of Newfoundland, his reflections of John Crosbie (oh the stories he told), but most of all the fact he never forgot his roots in Baie-comeau, QC.
“Many Canadians will have many more personal memories of him than I; more complex, sophisticated, and more personal. I am thankful for my memory.”
‘ROLE MODEL WORTH EMULATING’
There were many formal tributes to the late former prime minister issued by politicians and other public figures across the country.
Tony Wakeham, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador, called Mulroney “a true friend” of the province. He noted the signing of the historic Atlantic Accord, the federal-provincial agreement that guaranteed the province would be the principal beneficiary of its offshore oil and gas resources.
“We cannot overstate the importance of that decision to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and it all happened because Brian Mulroney had the vision and the wisdom to enter into that Accord with premier Brian Peckford in February 1985, with John Crosbie, Pat Carney and Bill Marshall all playing huge roles,” Wakeham said in a prepared statement.
He also lauded Mulroney for things such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Wakeham said opened up opportunities for Newfoundland and Labrador to grow, and his efforts to promote unity across the country.
"Brian Mulroney was a gentleman through and through, and one of Canada's and the world's most respected leaders – a role model worth emulating,” Wakeham said.
OFFSHORE ALLY
Mulroney was remembered Friday as an “offshore ally” by Energy NL, which represents about 500 member organizations involved in the energy sector worldwide.
“His support for the Atlantic Accord and the offshore never wavered, despite many challenges and obstacles,” Gerry Mayo, chairperson of the Energy NL board of directors, said in a prepared statement.
Charlene Johnson, Energy NL.’S chief executive officer, said Mulroney recognized early the potential and the importance of the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore oil and gas industry.
“He had the foresight to see the impact and prosperity the offshore could bring to Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the opportunity before our province to create long-term benefits and establish a world-class supply and service sector,” Johnson stated in a news release issued by Energy NL.
“Prime Minister Mulroney was a founder of the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore oil and gas industry and forever an ally. His legacy in Newfoundland and Labrador is one of vision, confidence, and prosperity; it will resonate for decades to come.”