Brian Mulroney: The Life And Times Of Canada's 18th Prime Minister | CBC News

Brian Mulroney served as Canadian prime minister, from 1984 to 1993, an eventful tenure that included a royal visit, the failure of the Meech Lake Accord and the successful passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement — a deal that transformed the Canadian economy.

On Thursday, Mulroney’s daughter Caroline said he had died at the age of 84.

Here’s a look at some key moments in Mulroney’s political life before, during and after his time as Canada’s 18th prime minister.

1st try for PC leadershipMulroney confers with then-Newfoundland premier Frank Moores at the 1976 Progressive Conservative leadership convention in Ottawa. Mulroney, known at the time for his law career in Montreal, ran to replace Robert Stanfield, a race that would be won by Joe Clark, who went on to become prime minister.

(The Canadian Press)

2nd time’s the charmMulroney took another run at the PC leadership in 1983. Here, he and his wife, Mila, walk through placard-waving supporters to the podium to address the leadership convention in Ottawa that June 10. He went on to win on the fourth ballot, defeating Clark.

(The Canadian Press)

Mulroney becomes PMThe Mulroneys wave from the stage on election night on Sept. 4, 1984, as the Progressive Conservatives won a landslide majority government and handed the Liberals the worst defeat for a governing party at the federal level up to that point.

(The Canadian Press)

Queen’s visitMulroney smiles while his wife curtsies for Queen Elizabeth as she arrived for a state dinner in Winnipeg on Oct. 6, 1984. The Queen’s planned summer visit had been postponed after the previous prime minister, John Turner, called a general election for September. 

(Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press)

Shamrock SummitMulroney and then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan walk past a line of Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the Quebec City airport on March 17, 1985. Their meeting was dubbed the Shamrock Summit because it coincided with St. Patrick’s Day and because of both men’s Irish background.

(Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)

Indigenous mattersMulroney is presented with a feather by Indigenous elder Alex Skead before the start of the second day of the first ministers’ conference on Indigenous constitutional matters, in Ottawa on March 27, 1987.

(Greg Teckles/The Canadian Press)

Meeting at Meech LakeMulroney reads a statement after he and provincial premiers reached an agreement in principle on constitutional grievances, following a meeting at Meech Lake in Quebec on April 30, 1987. The Meech Lake Accord would famously end in failure.

(Charles Mitchell/The Canadian Press)

Re-election in ’88Then-Liberal leader John Turner and Mulroney point fingers at each other during a debate in the 1988 federal election campaign, in which the Canada-U.S. free-trade agreement was a central issue. Mulroney and the Tories were re-elected with a reduced majority.

(Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press)

Making their pitchMulroney and then-U.S. president George Bush throw the opening pitch at the Toronto Blue Jays home opener on April 10, 1990.

(Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press)

Charlottetown AccordMulroney holds up a piece of paper he had torn during a speech in Sherbrooke, Que., on Sept. 28, 1992. He was demonstrating that a ‘No’ vote on the following month’s referendum on the Charlottetown Accord would rip apart the 31 points Quebec got in the agreement.

(Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press)

NAFTA passesThen-U.S. trade representative Carla Hills, seated in the centre, is shown with her Mexican and Canadian counterparts, as well as all three countries’ leaders, as they sign the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1992.

(Pat Sullivan/The Associated Press)

Mulroney steps downBy 1993, Mulroney’s popularity had declined due in part to the introduction of the GST and the Charlottetown Accord’s collapse. He resigned, and cabinet minister Kim Campbell won the subsequent leadership race to take his place. Here, the prime minister-designate is given a standing ovation in the House of Commons by Mulroney and others on June 16.

(Tom Hanson/The Canadian Press)

Order of CanadaRoméo LeBlanc, who was governor general at the time, presents the medal for companion of the Order of Canada to Mulroney during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Oct. 22, 1998.

(Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press)

Finding a future leaderMulroney and fellow former prime ministers, Clark, left, Campbell, centre right, and Paul Martin pose for a photo in Toronto on Feb. 20, 2007. The four got together for a taping of Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister, a TV competition airing on CBC Television aimed at finding a young person with serious leadership potential.

(Aaron Harris/The Canadian Press)

Oliphant CommissionLead commission counsel Richard Wolson questions Mulroney at the Oliphant Commission in Ottawa on May 19, 2009. The commission was investigating the business dealings between German Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber and Mulroney. Justice Jeffrey Oliphant would eventually conclude in his report that the business dealings were “inappropriate.”

(Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Business arenaMulroney served on a number of boards of directors in Canada and abroad since leaving political office, including as chairman of the board at Quebecor Inc. Here, he and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stand next to the Stanley Cup at the launch of the NHL season on the Quebecor-owned TVA Sports network in Boucherville, Que., on Sept. 3, 2014.

(Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)

Farewell to CrosbieMulroney delivers a eulogy for former Newfoundland and Labrador lieutenant-governor and federal politician John Crosbie during his state funeral at the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, in St. John’s on Jan. 16, 2020.

(Paul Daly/The Canadian Press)

Remembering Queen Elizabeth IIMulroney speaks during commemorative ceremonies for Queen Elizabeth at Christ Church Cathedral, in Ottawa on Sept. 19, 2022 — 11 days after her death and nearly 40 years after he met her during her visit to Canada in 1984.

(Blair Gable/The Canadian Press via AP)

Touring Mulroney HallAhead of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s speech to delegates at the Atlantic Economic Forum on June 10, 2023, Mulroney gives him a tour of Mulroney Hall on the campus, showing him a replica of his centre-block desk.

(Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)

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