Brian Mulroney

Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a transformative Canadian lawyer, corporate executive, and politician who served as Canada’s 18th prime minister from 1984 to 1993. Born into a working-class family in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, and educated in law at Université Laval, he built a highly successful career as a labor lawyer and business executive—notably serving as president of the Iron Ore Company of Canada—before entering federal politics. Leading the Progressive Conservative Party to a historic landslide victory in 1984, Mulroney reshaped the country's economic and political landscape through landmark achievements, including the introduction of the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Beyond economic policy, his legacy is distinguished by aggressive global environmental leadership, such as the landmark 1991 Acid Rain Treaty, and a resolute stance against South African apartheid. Following his departure from public office, he returned to international law and corporate governance, while publishing his bestselling Memoirs: 1939–1993 to detail his monumental decade in power.