Party leaders honour Brian Mulroney's legacy in the House of Commons

Brian Mulroney was remembered as a man whose "principles helped shape this nation" as the House of Commons officially commemorated the life and legacy of the former Conservative prime minister, who died Feb. 29 at the age of 84.

As Mulroney's wife Mila and their four children looked on from the gallery, the leaders of Canada's federal political parties rose one after another in the House on Monday afternoon to pay tribute.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described one of his last encounters with "one of the lions of Canadian politics" at Mulroney's alma mater, St. Francis Xavier University, last year.

"We talked about wisdom that he and my dad both shared, that leadership fundamentally is about getting the big things right. No matter what your political stripe or your style, that's your job," he said.

"He wouldn't let himself succumb to temporary pressure. He was motivated by service. And those things, those big things, have stood the test of history four decades and counting."

Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives governed Canada from 1984 to 1993. He won two majority governments and steered Canada through several consequential policy decision points, including free trade with the United States, the end of the Cold War and the introduction of the GST.

"He had the wisdom to understand that the best way to fight back was to embrace our friends," said Trudeau, who leaned on Mulroney when free trade negotiations were reopened with the Donald Trump administration.

"Brian Mulroney's principles helped shape this nation, and the world, for the better, and we will all continue that work."

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre opened his remarks by describing Mulroney's humble origin as the son of a paper mill electrician in the forestry town of Baie-Comeau, Que.

"I was just becoming aware there was such a thing as prime minister when he had that job. And like millions of young people from similar backgrounds, we looked to him and said — if the Irish son of a working-class electrician from a mill town can rise to become prime minister, then in this country, anyone from anywhere can do anything," Poilievre said to general applause.

Mila Mulroney (left) walks with her son Nicolas, Caroline Mulroney and her husband Andrew Lapham as the family arrives on Parliament Hill on Monday, March 18, 2024 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

He also spoke of Mulroney's famous personal touch.

"For Brian Mulroney, phone calls were like an art form — using the telephone the way Michelangelo may have used a chisel or a brush, he would do it to make business deals, charm foreign leaders, and more importantly to comfort grieving or suffering friends," said Poilievre.

"He would console, joke, or even throw in the odd curse about the unfairness of it all and his friends' turmoil melted into the astonishment that one of the country's greatest prime ministers had offered love and laughter."

Mulroney will lie in state on Tuesday and Wednesday in Ottawa near Parliament Hill. Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and Trudeau are set to offer condolences to the Mulroney family Tuesday morning.

His casket will then travel to Montreal ahead of the state funeral at St. Patrick's Basilica on Saturday.

His daughter Caroline Mulroney, longtime friend and colleague Jean Charest and hockey star Wayne Gretzky will deliver the eulogies.

The funeral ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. ET and is expected to last two hours.