Canada holds a state funeral to honor Brian Mulroney

Politicians, dignitaries and celebrities joined members of the public Saturday at a state funeral to honor Brian Mulroney, one of Canada’s most consequential prime ministers who in the 1980s solidified trade ties with the U.S. and spoke out against South Africa’s apartheid.

Caroline Mulroney delivers a eulogy from the pulpit for her father, former prime minister Brian Mulroney, during his funeral in Montreal, Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Ryan Remiorz /The Canadian Press via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and hockey great Wayne Gretzky were among the attendees at Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica. Mulroney, who died Feb. 29 at age 84, was prime minister for nine years between 1984 and 1993 and led the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

“He shaped our history. He got the big things right,” Trudeau said to reporters outside the church before going in. “He had a huge impact.”

The funeral follows four days of public tributes in Montreal and Ottawa during which political dignitaries and members of the public filed by Mulroney’s casket and paid their respects to his wife and four children.

“Every day of my life my dad told me that I was the greatest daughter that God put on this earth. Now we all know how much he liked hyperbole, but how lucky am I,” Caroline Mulroney, his daughter, said in her eulogy. “He gave me love, confidence and strength … we are heartbroken by our loss. We adored him. I miss you daddy.”

Mulroney was first elected in 1984 after winning the largest majority in Parliament in Canadian history, but he left almost a decade later with the lowest approval rating in Canadian history. His Progressive Conservative party suffered a devastating defeat just after he left office. But in the years after the loss, prime ministers sought his advice.

“Brian Mulroney chose to spend his political capital. He took risks and by doing so he became one of those rarest of leaders, able to define an era as his own,” former Quebec Premier Jean Charest said.

Article by The Associated Press©