Local MPs mourn former prime minister Brian Mulroney

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Blaine Calkins, MP for Red Deer — Lacombe, said he heard of the news on Thursday while his flight was taking off from Ottawa back to Alberta.

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Using the time to contemplate on how Mulroney led the country, he said it was a “golden time for Canada”, in corporation with U.S. President Ronald Reagan and U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

“It was an interesting and exciting time. There was a lot of economic growth and a lot of things that happened with free trade agreements, but there were also some challenging things with the constitutional amendments that he tried to make and some of the other polices that came along. But at the end of the day, Brian Mulroney was a very good prime minister, very good spokesman, very good statesman,” he said.

Mulroney signed the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement in 1988, later including Mexico, which many said helped to increase Canadian exports and rising standards of living for all countries. Others criticized the agreement that jobs were being outsourced to cheaper locals.

In 1987, Mulroney attempted to win Quebec’s consent to the Canadian Constitution with amendments and the Meech Lake Accord that would strengthen provincial powers and declare Quebec a “distinct society”.

Calkins said he remembers shaking Mulroney’s hand and the last time he spoke publicly at the Queen Elizabeth II’s memorial service in Ottawa last year. He said Mulroney captured the room as a fantastic orator with a great voice.

He added that Mulroney was one of the very few conservative prime ministers to serve consecutive terms, until 1993.

Former-prime minister Stephen Harper, who also served back-to-back terms as a conservative from 2006-2015, released the following statement on X, formerly known as Twitter:

Calkins stated Mulroney should be remembered for all the good things he did for the country, particularly regarding the environment. In 2006, he was named Canada’s “greenest prime minister” in a Corporate Knights magazine survey by a dozen prominent environmentalists for his treaty with the U.S. on acid rain and air quality, creating eight new national parks, and bringing in the Environmental Protection Act.

“It goes to show that he was well respected both domestically and on the international stage. I know his family, his friends, and the entire Conservative family is mourning his passing,” he said.

Earl Dreeshen, MP for Red Deer-Mountain View, also released the following statement with his wife, Judy, on Mulroney’s passing:

“Judy and I are saddened to hear that the Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney has passed away.

His prominence on the world stage, alongside leaders like Reagan and Thatcher, showed the greatness of our nation and for that I will be forever grateful.

He chose principled stances against apartheid, realized the strengths associated with free trade, and ushered in an era of thoughtful environmentalism. While also bringing us out of crippling debt and onto a course of prosperity.

A man of humble beginnings, his charm, and kindness showed the true make of a wonderful man.

We offer our deepest sympathies to Mila, Caroline, Ben, Mark, Nicholas and their families.”

Mila was Mulroney’s wife of over 50 years and mother of their four children.

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