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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 291

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 19, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 291 - Mar/19/24
Mrs. Carol Hughes (Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, NDP)
  • Mar/19/24 8:37:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues from all parties in the House in recognizing the role and contributions of Canada's 18th prime minister, the late Right Hon. Brian Mulroney. I would like to begin by extending my condolences to Mila and to Mr. Mulroney's entire family. Losing a family member is difficult under ordinary circumstances, but Mr. Mulroney's family is mourning his loss under the grateful gaze of Canadians and Quebeckers and every other country around the world. Mr. Mulroney's legacy is worthy of reflection. He was elected with the largest majority in Canadian history in 1984. His 1985 bilateral summit with President Ronald Reagan proved to be, as the Toronto Star noted, “foundational for a number of major bilateral agreements on shared security, the environment and cross-border trade, eventually culminating in the North American Free Trade Agreement.” I will come back to the free trade agreement momentarily. With respect to the environment, the 1991 acid rain accord was critical to Canada, because the pollution that found its way into our rivers, lakes and forests came mostly from south of our border, namely the United States. In fact, a 2016 report by the International Joint Commission marking the 25-year anniversary of the acid rain accord found significant declines in the amount of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, particularly in the U.S., from 1990 levels. Brian Mulroney was the prime minister who created the Environmental Assessment Act and the Environmental Protection Act. He did it not because it was popular, but because he truly believed in protecting our environment for his future and for future generations. I would also be remiss if I did not take a moment to express our gratitude for his unwavering efforts, against staggering international political odds, to end apartheid in South Africa. It is reported that, upon his release from prison, Nelson Mandela said, “We regard you as one of our great friends because of the solid support we have received from you and Canada over the years”. Upon learning of Mr. Mulroney's passing, the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, issued a statement on behalf of his nation, saying Mulroney was a “leader that holds a special place in South Africa's history.” It proves that when Canada has the political will and leadership it can punch above its weight. It can lead the global community to make the right decisions. On behalf of New Democrats, we thank him and the Right Hon. Joe Clark for their collective efforts on this front. Mr. Mulroney has been called one of the most consequential prime ministers in Canadian history. There is substantive evidence to support that claim, but some of these consequences are controversial, and in the minds of many historians, academics, political experts and partisans, these consequences impacted negatively on Canada and Quebec both economically and politically. Let me begin with the free trade agreement. The agreement, which came into effect in 1987, codified one of the most important and lucrative trade relationships in the world, that of Canada and the United States, eliminating a range of trade barriers over the course of a 10-year period. However, opponents argued that Canadian manufacturers, which relied on tariff protection, would be decimated by free trade. Critics were concerned that American branch plants would move back to the United States and take advantage of cheaper, non-unionized labour. To some extent, this proved to be right. Then there was the GST. Mr. Mulroney replaced the federal sales tax with a 7% goods and services tax. Many arguments were made regarding the pros and cons of this measure as well. No matter who someone is, be they prime minister, cabinet minister or parliamentarians such as us, there are always decisions that are made which may or may not be popular. We make them because we and our party believe they are the right ones, the right ones for Canada and at times for our global partners, and the right ones on so many other fronts, including human rights. Mr. Mulroney also took a valiant risk attempting to bring Quebec into the constitutional fold, not once but twice. Following an interview with The Globe and Mail on June 11, 1990, two days after he concluded a difficult round of negotiations with Canada's 10 premiers, Mr. Mulroney said, “It's like an election campaign. You've got to work backwards. You've got to pick your dates and you work backwards from it.... I said (to my aides) that's the day that I'm going to roll all the dice. It's the only way to handle it.” There were serious political consequences to that statement, resulting in a lack of resolution on our constitutional front. In conclusion, it is not an understatement to say that Mr. Mulroney's legacy has been consequential. His contributions have been immense. He was able to work across party lines to get things done. His commitment to Canada was unquestionable. His dedication to advancing human rights was admirable and noteworthy. His family must be so proud of his contributions and I know colleagues in this chamber are truly grateful. As we speak here today, Canadians are filing in to pay their tributes and express their gratitude. I know that many in Quebec and across Canada will attend and watch his state funeral on Saturday, as a grateful nation accords him the farewell he actually deserves. To his family, his friends and his colleagues, I extend my deepest sympathy on behalf of the New Democratic Party. May he rest in peace.
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Context: House Hansard - 291 - Mar/19/24
Mr. Damien Kurek (Battle River—Crowfoot, CPC)
  • Mar/19/24 9:46:55 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as always, it is an honour to be able to rise in this place. Tonight, I would like to begin my remarks by passing along, from Danielle and myself, and on behalf of the people of Battle River—Crowfoot, condolences to Mila, Caroline, Ben, Mark, Nicolas and the entire Mulroney family on the passing of Brian Mulroney, the 18th Prime Minister of Canada. I am of a generation where, although I was alive for a few short years during his latter years in office, I did not have a chance to experience first-hand the leadership that he provided to our country. Upon reflection, after learning of Mr. Mulroney's passing, I came to realize how consequential he was. We have heard a lot tonight about how impactful his legacy was and is in the country that we know and love today. When I was reflecting back, in reading my social studies textbooks, things such as free trade, the fact that CFCs damaged the ozone layer and the need to stand up for what is right, as well as that Canada could play a consequential role in challenging policies like apartheid in South Africa, were taken for granted. I have looked at that image many times over the past number of weeks, of the three great Conservative leaders who dominated so much of those formative years that saw the end of the Soviet Union: former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, former U.K. prime minister Margaret Thatcher and, of course, Canada's own Brian Mulroney. The impact and the legacy of his leadership led this country from challenging years, challenging decades of policies that held Canada back to a renewed hope and optimism. That is what I will briefly touch on here. Shortly after the world learned of Mr. Mulroney's passing, I received a text message from a constituent. His reflections were interesting; he said that he remembered that 1983 convention. He was there. His family was involved in politics. At that time, he was a much younger man. He reflected to me how much hope Brian Mulroney's leadership victory at that convention gave to him for Alberta's place in Canada, as well as for the future and the potential that existed in our country. It is consequential, and the reason I bring it up here this evening is that this hope and promise of what Canada is and what Canada could be is so key and such a significant part of the legacy of the late prime minister. I would also share that, after learning of Brian Mulroney's passing, I reached out to one of my predecessors, Arnold Malone, who served for a number of years prior to the 1984 election and then for the two majority governments. Notably, he served as a member and chair of the defence committee. I reached out and introduced myself; we shared a region and many constituents, although he had since moved away from Battle River—Crowfoot. I asked if he had any thoughts or reflections. I would like to share a couple of those with the House and a grateful nation. I would just reference, and I will quote a poem in a moment. What struck me about the stories that Mr. Malone shared with me about his experience as a part of the Mulroney government over two successive majorities was that they came back to people. One story is an example of Brian's kindness. This is what Arnold Malone had to say. He was with a group of businessmen in Japan, and on the return flight, a Sunday, Brian got the message that the wife of a member, Stan Darling, MP for Parry Sound—Muskoka, had passed away and the funeral was the next day, on Monday. Brian had the pilot divert the flight and, unannounced, attended the funeral for Stan's wife. What I think speaks to the level of humility that is so important in remembering Brian Mulroney's legacy is this. Mr. Malone goes on to say that as Stan was leaving the front rows of the church, he was shocked to see Brian sitting halfway back next to the aisle because it was unannounced and unexpected that he would make the time to attend that funeral. It was his personal touch and how impactful that truly was. I would suggest it is that impact and personal connection that allowed the pioneering of things that we take for granted in our nation today, things like NAFTA free trade, an idea that was surprisingly not popular at the time it was introduced, but has had an impact on our nation. It was that care for people that I see in another story shared with me. Before Brian Mulroney entered politics, he was the chief executive officer of the Iron Ore Company. I know the Conservative leader has referenced this a number of times. One of the stories associated with that work and his time as the chief executive officer, the boss of the organization, is that he was known to carry a lunch box into work. While he was an executive at that company, he wanted to make sure he could eat lunch with the employees. It was no surprise that after a fairly short time, with his care for the people at that company, labour disputes dropped and productivity rose. That sort of leadership is very impactful. There is a very well-known poem that has been referenced over the course of the discussion this evening and in the tributes that were made this past week. It is Rudyard Kipling's famous poem If—. One of the lines is, “Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch”. It is this legacy that I would suggest defines so much of the impact that Brian Mulroney was able to leave on this country. I will share something else that I had the opportunity to learn about when I was a university student. It was the boldness to tackle challenges. Specifically, although not successful in leading constitutional change, his leadership to take on those issues head-on is a lesson for us all today. We all know of the Meech Lake accord and the Charlottetown accord. I will not get into many of the details, but in his boldness, he took the challenges of the nation, boiled them down to action that could be taken and then took action knowing that he may not be successful. These are things like constitutional reform, which would have, in the case of the Charlottetown accord, brought about significant democratic reform, including through changes to Canada's Senate. I will conclude by saying that we are remembering much about Brian Mulroney's legacy as the 18th Prime Minister of Canada, but in addition to that, he was a father, a husband and a grandfather. To Mila, Caroline, Ben, Mark and Nick, as well as his larger family and his many grandkids, I say thanks for sharing their husband, father and grandfather with a grateful nation, and I acknowledge the leadership that it provided in turning Canada into the country it is today. May he rest in peace and may God bless his family and give them peace during this time.
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