Former Canadian Prime Minister Dies At 84

Brian Mulroney is dead at 84.

The former Canadian prime minister who left his nation from 1984 - 1993 has died at the age of 84.

Brian Mulroney the 18th prime minister in Canada's history, passed away "peacefully, surrounded by family," his daughter posted online.

Mulroney led North American free trade through the closing days of the Cold War.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacting to the news of his death said he was "devastated" to learn of his death.

"He never stopped working for Canadians, and he always sought to make this country an even better place to call home," Mr Trudeau in a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter).

"I'll never forget the insights he shared with me over the years, he was generous, tireless, and incredibly passionate."

Justin Trudeau also asked the public to "also acknowledge and celebrate Mr. Mulroney's role in building the modern, dynamic, and prosperous country we all know today".

Martin Brian Mulroney was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.

Brian Mulroney was born on March 20, 1939, in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada.

Mulroney was Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, he studied political science and law.

He moved to Montreal and gained prominence as a labor lawyer. After placing third in the 1976 Progressive Conservative leadership election, he was appointed president of the Iron Ore Company of Canada in 1977.

The conservative leader held that post until 1983 when he successfully became leader of the Progressive Conservatives. He then led the party to a landslide victory in the 1984 federal election, winning the second-largest percentage of seats in Canadian history (at 74.8 percent) and receiving over 50 percent of the popular vote. He later won a second majority government in 1988.

Mulroney's tenure as prime minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement, the goods and services tax (GST) that was created to replace the manufacturers' sales tax, and the privatization of 23 of 61 Crown corporations including Air Canada and Petro-Canada, Wikipedia.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday described Mulroney as "a gifted public speaker", one of the country's most controversial prime ministers, and "unafraid to tackle the most challenging issues of his era".

Some of his remarkable international endeavors were when he pushed for former American president Ronald Reagan to sign a treaty to curb acid rain and an agreement to modernize Canada's air defense systems. He also showed his support against apartheid in South Africa,

"Whether one agrees with our solutions or not, none will accuse us of having chosen to evade our responsibilities by side-stepping the most controversial issues of our time," Mulroney said in his statement of resignation back in 1993.

"I've done the very best for my country and my party." He said.

According to Mulroney, the second biggest mistake he ever made in his life was agreeing to receive a large sum of money in cash from Karlheinz Schreiber, an arms dealer.

"My second biggest mistake in life, for which I have no one to blame but myself, is having accepted payments in cash from Karlheinz Schreiber," he said in 2007. "My biggest mistake in life by far was ever agreeing to be introduced to Karlheinz Schreiber in the first place."

After leaving office in 1993, it was revealed that he had received large sums of cash from Schreiber although the former prime minister denied the allegations during his time in office.

The money given to him by Karlheinz Schreiber, which was revealed amid a large kickback scandal, he described as an "error of judgment".

The prime minister has a beautiful family and was also happy with them,

Mulroney and his wife had four children. His daughter Caroline is a politician in Ontario, while his son Ben is a well-known television presenter in Canada, Mark and Nicholas Mulroney have maintained a low profile while being successful in their endeavors.