TORONTO (AP) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that his country will hold a state funeral for former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, although a date has not yet been announced.
Mr. Mulroney died Thursday. He was 84 years old.
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Mulroney’s daughter, Caroline, said in a statement Thursday night that her father died peacefully surrounded by his family. Mulroney died Thursday at a Florida hospital after falling at her home in Palm Beach, Florida.
Mulroney’s family said his condition was improving day by day after undergoing heart surgery last summer following treatment for prostate cancer in early 2023.
The Peace Tower at Parliament House in Ottawa flies the flag at half-mast in his honor. Lawmakers agreed Friday morning to adjourn Congress for the day and pay tribute to Mulroney on March 18.
A framed portrait of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney leans against the Centenary Flame in Parliament House as Canadians mourn his death at the age of 84, Friday, March 1, 2024 in Ottawa, Canada. (Justin Tan/Canadian Press, via AP)
Mr. Mulroney forged a close relationship with the United States through extensive free trade agreements. Mulroney, who led the Progressive Conservative Party from 1983 to 1993, was first elected in 1984 and served as prime minister for almost a decade.
Mr. Mulroney forged lasting friendships with former U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and eulogized them both at their funerals.
Reagan and Mulroney became friends during the final decade of the Cold War as two national leaders. Mr. Mulroney’s nine years in office overlapped with Mr. Bush’s four years.
Former President George W. Bush expressed sadness at Mulroney’s death and praised him for helping end the Cold War.
In a statement noting the Canadian leader’s close relationship with his father, President Bush quoted Mulroney’s words at Bush’s funeral, saying, “But the best ship is friendship, and that May it always be that way.”
“May his ship sail on fair winds and waves,” President Bush and his wife, Laura, said in a statement.
Mr. Mulroney’s friendly relations with southern states contributed to the development of the Free Trade Agreement, a hotly contested agreement at the time. This trade agreement led to a permanent restructuring of Canada’s economy and a significant increase in North-South trade.
Fred Ryan, president of the Reagan Foundation and Institute, said in a statement that Mulroney is one of Canada’s most influential prime ministers.
“The world has lost a true champion of freedom and democracy,” Ryan said.
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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Mr Mulroney “holds a special place in South Africa’s history”.
“During his term, he opposed apartheid, advocated for the regime’s economic isolation, and took a stand at a time when many in the international community were upset,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.
