Brian Mulroney, the last gentleman prime minister
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney will be remembered for many things. He won an election on free trade and opened new economic opportunities for Canadians. He convinced U.S. President Ronald Reagan to sign the acid rain treaty to curb industrial emissions that were devastating Canadian forests. He convinced U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to take up the fight against apartheid in South Africa. He tried twice to bring Quebec into the Constitution “with honour and enthusiasm.” And he enacted the GST, which while unpopular, was a necessary replacement for the Manufacturer’s Sales Tax which hampered the growth of Canadian businesses.
