_{“I think the government has to reposition environment on top of their national and international priorities.” Brian Mulroney}

When Brian Mulroney won the 1983 Progressive Conservative race in Canada as the “Cadillac candidate” and was talking about “consumer confidence” he seemed to me like yet another neo-Conservative politico cut from the same cloth as Reagan and Thatcher. Subsequent scandals, the Oka crisis, the Meech Lake and Charlottetown fiascos only confirmed this impression. Yet something must have happened along the way because later in Mulroney’s mandate this most Conservative Prime Minster was signing international clean air treaties, supporting the Nunavut land claim, and fighting his counterparts Reagan and Thatcher by clearly calling for sanctions against apartheid South Africa. Could it be that Brian the little guy from Baie-Comeau became a citizen of the world?

Our family moved to Canada in 1982 when then Prime Minster Pierre Trudeau was towards the end of his long political career. This eloquent speaker with substance charmed us, and I think this might be one of the reasons my family has often voted Liberal since. In 1984 when Brian Mulroney became Prime Minister at first, he did not seem to have the same depth as Trudeau father. Furthermore, Mulroney was accused of being wishy-washy, unlike the decisive Pierre Trudeau, when he tried to de-index senior pensions from inflation and then after mounting protests, he backtracked.

Did Mulroney backtrack, or had he listened to protesters and sought compromise? The answer depends on how you look at the world. In my view, a politician who listens to people shows flexibility not indecisiveness. Suddenly, Mulroney gained a new respect in my eyes as someone who listens and cares about the welfare of others.

Furthermore, although my entire family and I were against a free trade agreement with the US at the time, it was impressive that Mulroney called an election precisely on this issue. Impressive because by calling an election he was listening to voters and letting them have a say on an important matter that would have a long-lasting effect in Canada. Even after winning that election, Mulroney ever the democrat did not gloat instead he appeared on CBC’s The Journal to have a conversation with journalist Barbara Frum and answer questions from the public.

I never saw an imminent need to amend the Canadian constitution after 1982. Though Mulroney’s attempts to do so were full of good intentions to bring Quebec into the fold. And as the saying goes the road to hell is paved with them. Both the Meech Lake and Charlottetown failed accords unintentionally fanned the flames of separatism leading to the 1995 Quebec referendum which almost split our country. To this day I remember how quiet my night school French class in Centennial College the day after the referendum was. Our French teacher consoled us knowing that many of us were immigrants studying French to improve our careers in Canada which had almost disappeared by saying, “Stop worrying, even if Canada breaks up, French is still a beautiful language to learn.”

In this most difficult moment, we saw Mulroney’s grace, he could have been vindictive against his friend Lucien Bouchard for betraying him by quitting his cabinet and party to join the separatist movement. Any other politician would have used their power and tried to ruin Bouchard’s career in retaliation. Mulroney stayed above the fray and always made immigrants feel welcome. On a personal note, someone like me can be both Latin American and Canadian in Mulroney’s view of Canada. Compare him to Jacques Parizeau the separatist leader who blamed the ethnic vote for his referendum defeat, thus insulting every immigrant in Quebec and in Canada.

Though Mulroney spoke strongly against apartheid I wish he had stood up more for Indigenous and LGBTQ rights here in Canada. Not to exonerate him on this matter yet, Mulroney’s contemporaries Clark, Chrétien and Pierre Trudeau also carry this burden and should have done more to promote human rights. And I wish he had avoided those ethical lapses that would haunt him later in his career. Still, he ended his career on a strong note by taking the non-partisan decision to help Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, particularly in external affairs just after Trump’s election presented Canada with new challenges. Jean Charest said it best, Mulroney unselfishly was a Canadian first and a Conservative second.

Despite having a rollercoaster career full of triumphs and shortcomings, Mulroney’s trajectory reminds us that politics can unite and become a force for positive change. How cool was it to have a PM in the 80’s and 90’s that shared the views of Peter Gabriel, Rubén Blades and Run DMC who decided to boycott apartheid and wouldn’t play in Sun City?

The fact that Mulroney now seems like a moderate Conservative speaks to the polarization of politics today. Why can’t a Conservative politician stand up for clean air and speak out against racism? Shouldn’t that be normal? It is safe to say that Mulroney’s Conservatives did not get too many votes in the Vera household, the number was probably zero, yet he won our respect through the years, and we were saddened to hear about his passing. Our beloved late mother in particular always commented on how approachable and friendly Brian and Mila Mulroney were with everyone they met here at home and on the world stage. She affectionately referred to Mrs. Mulroney as la Mila.

When Mulroney departed the accolades came out in editorials: “he was a gentleman”, and “he spoke out against apartheid in the UN”. But so did the insults, particularly from far-right groups in social media: “he was a globalist”, and “he never was a true Conservative.” Yet, even some of the insults could be seen as compliments. Isn’t a globalist someone who cares about other countries and our planet? And isn’t someone who does not blindly follow their ideology a better leader than a true Conservative or a true Liberal who is constrained by their partisanship? In today’s polarized world, a moderate politician like Mulroney whose fault was to listen to people from all walks of life instead of only listening to his base will always be seen as the enemy. If listening and seeking consensus are crimes for leaders to make, then Mulroney was a big-time crook. Hence, with every barb thrown by Mulroney’s opponents from the extreme right they unwittingly bestowed more and more laurels in memory of Brian the little guy from Baie-Comeau who grew up to become a citizen of the world.