The following is from Barrie-Innisfil MP John Brassard, who also serves as chair of the access to information, privacy and ethics committee.
I had the opportunity to meet former prime minister Brian Mulroney in Ottawa soon after I was elected as the MP for Barrie-Innisfil in 2015.
For me, it was a moment I’ll never forget, because it was Brian Mulroney who inspired me to lean toward Progressive Conservatism in 1983 after he won the leadership while I was working as an all-night radio announcer in Brandon, Man.
There was something about the way he communicated that drew me in.
I found out later, as I got to know him, what a gift he had to make people feel like you were the only one he was speaking to. He had an incredible ability to tell a story and make you feel like you were part of it.
Maybe it was his baritone voice or his charisma and charm, but he could sure hold court in a room of a few or many people.
When he won the largest majority in Canadian history in 1983, it was obvious that many Canadians felt the same as I did.
The thing I think he will be remembered for the most is not by his electoral success — he won back-to-back majorities — but what he did with after winning the elections what he did was bold.
The economy had been suffering under the previous Trudeau, much like it is today under the current one, but Mulroney had the boldness to open up free trade with the Americans.
He privatized Crown corporations, negotiated the "Western Accord" and implemented the extremely unpopular GST to help pay for the nation’s climbing debt.
He was bold in protecting the environment and bold in defending human rights in his opposition to apartheid in South Africa.
On the environment, he signed the acid rain treaty with the United States. His government passed the Environment Assessment and Environmental Protection Act. He hosted a climate summit in Montreal that led to the signing of the Montreal Protocol.
He was a respected statesman because of that principled approach to foreign policy. Canada was respected globally because of Brian Mulroney.
He persuaded the UN to take action during the Ethiopian famine and put together the coalition that eventually led to the fight to free Kuwait in the Persian Gulf Conflict.
He was vocal against apartheid in South Africa and championed sanctions imposed by the Commonwealth that would eventually lead to the end of apartheid and freedom for Nelson Mandela.
It was because of the Persian Gulf War that I got to know Mulroney better in recent years. We both had a desire to see Persian Gulf veterans deemed as wartime service by Veterans Affairs.
We attended events together and were working with other parliamentarians and the Persian Gulf War Veterans Association to see this come to a conclusion.
Unfortunately, it didn’t happen before he passed away.
He often spoke about the decision to send our Armed Forces to the Persian Gulf — in particular, the worry he had about the safety of our troops and concern for their families back home. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one and it’s the reason we needed to look after those who were sent there.
I know this term has been used a lot since he passed away, but he truly was a "consequential" figure in Canadian history and a time when we needed a true leader.
Between the Cold War, dealing with larger-than-life political figures like Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev, Brian Mulroney was their equal in stature and statesmanship.
He earned respect because he was principled. He believed in Canada and the promise of our Confederation and kept working long after his political career was done to make Canada a better country, often sharing with others his experience and opinion.
Most importantly, he loved his family. The enduring relationship and love he had for Mila, and the love he had for his children — Caroline, Mark, Ben and Nicholas — was evident during his public life and his life after politics.
I’ll be attending the state funeral in Montreal on March 23 to say thank you to our 18th prime minister, Martin Brian Mulroney, to show my respect and say thanks for his service on behalf of the communities I represent in Barrie and Innisfil and on behalf of a grateful nation.
