UPDATED March 5, 2024 10:56amET
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney has died at age 84.
A state funeral is planned for March 23 in Montreal. Mulroney will lie in state in Ottawa before the funeral, and lie in repose in Montreal after the service.
Mulroney led the Progressive Conservatives to a massive election win in 1984, winning again in 1988 before resigning as prime minister and party leader in 1993.
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Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet posted to X:
Le premier ministre Mulroney est peut-être le dernier à avoir tenté de réconcilier avec sincérité le Québec et le Canada. Il a été le maître-d’œuvre d’un traité de libre-échange qui n’aurait pas existé sans l’appui du Québec. Son rôle dans le respect des droits humains et la…
— Yves-F. Blanchet 🎗⚜️ (@yfblanchet) February 29, 2024
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Martin Brian Mulroney was one of six children born to Ben and Mary Mulroney in the mill town of Baie Comeau, Que., on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River.
Mulroney attended Saint Francis Xavier University, where he was first introduced to politics and became active in the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, working on the 1956 election that saw Robert Stanfield become premier.
He completed his law degree at Université Laval and landed his first job at the firm of Ogilvy Renault in Montreal, making a name as a labour relations lawyer.
Mulroney first ran for Tory leader in 1976, finishing third behind winner Joe Clark. He then took a position as executive vice-president of the Iron Ore Company of Canada.
In 1983 Mulroney would top Clark on the fourth ballot to win the leadership.
One year later he led the party to the largest majority in Canadian history, with 211 seats in the 1984 election.
Four years later came an emotional campaign election dominated by Canada-U.S. free trade. Though Tory support fell, Mulroney kept his majority government.
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