EDITORIAL: Mulroney: A brave man with a bold vision
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Brian Mulroney was a courageous leader, unafraid to make tough decisions. He was a steadfast warrior on the front lines of human rights. And he was a visionary who did more than any other prime minister to make a real and lasting impact on the environment.
Mulroney died Thursday at age 84. Born to a large family in a Quebec steel town, Mulroney put himself through law school and joined the business world, but he never forgot his blue-collar roots.
First elected in a byelection in 1983, the following year he swept the Progressive Conservatives to their largest-ever majority government.
Mulroney negotiated this country’s first free trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico, over strenuous opposition from detractors. It created jobs and prosperity and formed the lasting strength of Canada’s economy. Yes, he brought in the GST, an unpopular tax. Successive governments have silently thanked him for it. It was the right thing to do.
On the environment, he’s best remembered for his visionary pact with the U.S. on acid rain. He also brought in the Environmental Protection Act and created eight new national parks.
He built close relationships with world leaders, especially U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
And he was widely respected for standing up for human rights in South Africa and leading the push to free Nelson Mandela. Mulroney refused to be pushed around by former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher — the Iron Lady — at the 1987 Commonwealth Conference in Vancouver. He insisted the Commonwealth support sanctions against South Africa and its racist apartheid policies. Canada, he said, would be on the “right side of history” in ending apartheid.
Mandela never forgot Mulroney’s principled stand. It’s why Canada was the first country he visited after 27 years in prison.
Mulroney had setbacks, of course. All politicians do. They’re well documented and now’s not the time to rake over old foibles.
In his latter years, he became this country’s elder statesman. Aspiring leaders sought his advice and mentorship.
We should remember Mulroney as a brave Canadian who changed this country for the better. We should celebrate him as a man who loved his country and did what was right, not necessarily what was popular.
May he rest in peace.
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