Montrealers get their chance to pay their respects to former PM Mulroney

Dignitaries, family guests and members of the public have began paying their respects to Brian Mulroney in Montreal.

The former prime minister's family and his casket arrived Thursday morning at Saint Patrick's Basilica for the first of two days of visitation ahead of Saturday's state funeral.

Mulroney, who was born in Baie-Comeau, Que., and served as Canada's prime minister from 1984 to 1993, died on Feb. 29, 2024. His state funeral is set to be held Saturday at the Notre-Dame Basilica, in Old Montreal.

Until Saturday, his casket, adorned with a Canadian flag, will lie in Saint Patrick's Basilica, at 460 René-Lévesque Boulevard West.

Dignitaries and family guests have been invited to express their sympathies to the Mulroney family Thursday morning.

Members of the public have been invited to pay their respects from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday and on Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Members of the Mulroney family follow as the casket of former prime minister Brian Mulroney is carried into St. Patrick's Basilica where he will lie in repose in Montreal on Thursday. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

Earlier this week, Mulroney lay in state on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and members of the public visited his casket and paid their respects.

Many of those who attended shared personal stories of their interactions with Mulroney or of his impact on them.

Mulroney has been described as one of Canada's most consequential prime ministers.

He negotiated a free trade agreement with the U.S., was a staunch opponent to apartheid in South Africa and introduced the goods and services tax (GST).