Remembering Brian Mulroney

Though I am not a Progressive-conservative and I have never voted for the Tories, provincially and federally, I am saddened that Canada has lost one of its elder statesman, former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

It happened shortly after his political rival and fellow parliamentarian, Ed Broadbent, passed away. I never had the chance to meet Brian Mulroney in person, but I know from the numerous correspondence I had with him during most of my Trent University student years, he treated me with respect. I also received correspondence from former Liberal prime ministers Pierre Elliott Trudeau and John Turner in my first two years at Trent.

Brian Mulroney and I represent different political ideologies, the then-prime minister led a right-of-center Progressive-conservative government and I represent the left social democrats in the NDP. Yes, people can rise over their political partisan politics and remain friends.

Speaking of former prime ministers, the only one I had a conversation with was former Liberal leader, John Turner, in Toronto, in 1984. I walked by Jean Chretien while waiting for my eldest brother at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on his return flight from Caracas, Venezuela. I also met other prominent Liberal, Progressive-conservative, and NDP politicians both in my previous Ontario life, as well as here in St. John’s, N.L. And, me and my former coworkers witnessed former PM Joe Clark and the late senator, Hugh Segal, entering Toronto’s Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant during our lunch break. I had a deep sense that all the former prime ministers love our country and wanted to serve most if not all Canadians.

There were issues that I agreed with and supported the former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and there were issues that I didn’t agree with him and his government.

Here are some issues that I disagreed with Brian Mulroney and his P. C. Government: cozying up to Ronald Reagan’s Republicans in the US; the early stages of U.s.canada and later NAFTA Trade Agreements; his donothing policy in getting universal Pharmacare and medical assistive devices as part of the Canada Health Act and our country’s Universal Public Medicare System; his involvement in the Airbus affair; the outset of the Goods and Services Tax (known as the GST).

The issue that brought me concern and mixed feelings was his constitutional involvement with the failed Meech Lake Accords and later the Charlottetown Agreement.

I did support his staunch opposition to South Africa’s Racist Apartheid system, the then-pm’s appointment of Ontario NDP Stephen Lewis as Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations; his and the then-canadian government’s Opposition to the Reagan US Strategic Defence Initiative (known as Star Wars); his governments efforts in helping Ethiopia famine relief 1984-85; his role in the Newfoundland Hibernia Project; his work to end acid rain; Mulroney’s support for Central America’s CONTADORA Peace Initiatives and the Disability Tax Credit.

May he rest in peace. Edward Sawdon St. John’s