Brian Mulroney
...n to the Canadian economy was his advocacy of the North American Free Trade Agreement. As he pointed out, “Our purpose is noble, our course is clear: two sovereign democracies, sharing the same Gukova 4 continent, have much that will benefit each other and even more that will enhance the cause of a durable peace in the world”2. Yet, it was his first step to his unpopularity because critics warned that free trade would mean that Canadian society would fall irrevocably under U.S. interest, at the expense of Canadian social values and social programs. After many years, even Mulroney is still asking: Witness the assaults on me for the Free Trade Agreement by way of illustration. All the things that were going to happen I was demonized, for this I was called a traitor, lacking in patriotism, and lacking in principle. Ask yourself now 10 years later, about free trade. Was it the right thing to do for Canada?3 Another reason that led to Mulroney’s unpopularity was the Meech Lake Accord negotiated in 1987 for the purpose of giving more powers to provinces and to determine Quebec as a “distinct society” status. In his speech in 1987, Mulroney insisted, “This agreement represents the best features of a vital Federal system”4. Althoug...