Transforming the Nation: Canada and Brian Mulroney<\/em>, to be released. In this collection of essays, a diverse group of scholars, journalists and former politicians contribute essays on Mulroney’s policy legacy, each examining in detail his actions in power and the impact they have had in a different area.<\/p>\nThese essays cover the gamut of Mulroney’s record from economic policy to foreign affairs and everything in between. The book even includes examinations of Mulroney the man via excellent and more personal contributions by Bob Rae, L. Ian MacDonald and John Crosbie.<\/p>\n
The heart of this compilation is a series of pieces from different perspectives recounting Mulroney’s failed attempts at constitutional renewal. Ian Peach’s essay reminds us how incredibly fast events moved in that time period: it was just five years from the beginning of the Meech Lake negotiations to the defeat of the Charlottetown Accord. Peach is too harsh on Mulroney when he says the former prime minister \u201cmust carry most of the blame for both the procedural and substantive problems\u201d with Meech and that these issues were \u201crooted in Mulroney’s misunderstanding of Canada’s changed political culture.\u201d I would argue few politicians have understood the political culture of the land they were governing better than Mulroney.<\/p>\n
At the outset of his drive to reintegrate Quebec into the constitutional fold, the political will to do so in Quebec and English Canada was strong.<\/p>\n
It was a series of events beyond his control\u2014 Robert Bourassa’s use of the notwithstanding clause to keep Quebec’s French sign law, the replacement of a Conservative premier in Newfoundland with Liberal Clyde Wells, Pierre Trudeau’s last-minute lashing out, etc.\u2014 that were the problems.<\/p>\n
We are reminded of Mulroney’s too-often overlooked contributions in the realm of foreign affairs, particularly his vocal opposition to apartheid and support for sanctions on South Africa (which put him at odds with conservative ally Margaret Thatcher), the creation of the Francophonie summit and the way in which he finessed his relationship with both Presidents Reagan and Bush to get results for Canada: the free trade agreement and a treaty on acid rain being the two biggest triumphs.<\/p>\n
Contributors Nelson Michaud and Kim Nossal also note that the Mulroney government was a pioneer in the movement to rethink the notion of national sovereignty: Mulroney championed the concept of humanitarian intervention as early as 1990 and, of course, sent troops to assist in the Balkans.<\/p>\n
Most of this book’s essays are well balanced and fair. Some contributions stand out more than others: former CBC journalist Christopher Waddell’s insider take on Mulroney’s two victorious election campaigns is one of the finest overviews I’ve read, and Green Party leader Elizabeth May’s dissection of the Mulroney environmental record is balanced and comprehensive.<\/p>\n
However, several contributions delve into obvious editorializing due to what appears to be ideological opposition to Mulroney. Two examples that stick out are Ann Porter’s article on Mulroney and women’s issues and Michael Behiels’s piece on attempts at constitutional reform.<\/p>\n
While acknowledging such advancements as employment equity and parental leave legislation, Porter tries to lay blame at Mulroney’s feet for \u201cdisempowering women as political actors\u201d and says that his era’s \u201cemphasis on market forces and individual responsibility undermined the very notion of systemic discrimination or structural inequalities.\u201d The idea that the Mulroney years disadvantaged women is a bit of a stretch. First, Mulroney was personally quite committed to advancing women in politics and in the public service (although perhaps just not the type of women appreciated by Porter). Second, Mulroney’s macroeconomic accomplishments\u2014 in particular, free trade with the United States\u2014 brought about economic growth with scores of well-paying, highquality jobs that have been hugely beneficial to both men and women. Economic liberalization and advancing the cause of women is not an either\/or choice; both can occur simultaneously.<\/p>\n
As for Michael Behiels, his contribution is coloured by his overt hostility to Quebec nationalism, the \u201ctwo nations\u201d vision of Canada and the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords, and he even accuses Mulroney of \u201chigh-stakes political blackmail, constant verbal harassment, and occasional physical bullying tactics\u201d with provincial premiers in the days before Meech Lake’s demise. For Behiels, the MulroneyBourassa alliance was dangerous for the country and one senses his delight that these reform attempts failed. The Mulroney years were eventful and his record far from perfect. Perhaps more than anything, they were consequential. Transforming the Nation<\/em> is an honest, detailed and fair assessment of his nine years in office and the consequences that have come as a result of his activist agenda.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most political leaders have to wait a certain amount of time before they see their legacies fully and properly assessed. Indeed, many don’t live to see a serious evaluation of their legacies take place. Brian Mulroney, then, is one of the lucky ones. In recent years he has seen his reputation undergo a serious transformation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-08-30T02:47:55Z","apple_news_api_id":"a4667c8d-beee-40d5-a062-1b46a81bc03d","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-08-30T02:47:55Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ApGZ8jb7uQNWgYhtGqBvAPQ","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[9346],"tags":[],"article-status":[],"irpp-category":[],"section":[],"irpp-tag":[],"class_list":["post-262467","issues","type-issues","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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