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Mr. Speaker,

The night before this House last rose, Canadians received the news that one of the lions of Canadian politics had left us.

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney served in this chamber for a decade. But he served Canada his entire life. He loved this country with his whole heart. And he knew that we were capable of great things.

He saw that the greatest strength of this country was our shared values: “Opportunity, fairness, and justice for all,” was one of the ways he put it.

But he understood that success was not automatic. It took hard work.

It was because of his work ethic that the son of a workman in Baie-Comeau was able to study law, lead the Iron Ore Company, and become prime minister of our great country.

Proudly Quebecois, proudly bilingual, he never forgot where he came from. He shook every hand with the same enthusiasm, whether a worker or a monarch.

The last time I had a chance to be with Prime Minister Mulroney was at his alma mater, St. FX, last year.

Brian and Mila took me on a tour of Mulroney Hall, a beautiful building that houses an institute of government in his name.

We sat in a replica of the Prime Ministers’ Centre Block office. I reminisced about not just my own years in that office, but about visiting my dad there, and that got us talking about families, and the impact that this life has on them.

As we walked, 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 style, that’s your job.

At one of the eulogies given at an American president’s funeral, he said that many people with various talents and skills had led the country and that many more would so do in future.

But one thing is sure: historians will see that, in Canada’s history, Brian Mulroney led with vision and determination.

We know that because he accomplished many great things.

We see it in his legacy on Apartheid, where he was unremitting in his commitment to end that institutionalized racism. And he leveraged Canada’s position in the Commonwealth to lead efforts that helped free Nelson Mandela from his cell on Robben Island.

We see it in his environmental legacy. He understood that governments have a responsibility to fight environmental degradation, and he negotiated a historic air quality agreement with the United States to fight acid rain.  He also negotiated the Montreal Protocol with global partners to repair the hole in the ozone layer. These agreements were not just essential at the time: they have become important blueprints for environmental co-operation as the international community faces the climate crisis.

And perhaps one of his greatest legacies was forging a free trade agreement with our closest ally, the United States.

Prime Minister Mulroney was astute and perceived, even back in the eighties, a rising tide of American protectionism. He had the wisdom to understand that the best way to fight back was to embrace our friends. He envisioned a free trade relationship, and in working to make this vision a reality, he became a lifelong friend of two U.S. presidents.

With the creation of NAFTA, Brian Mulroney established the largest free trade area in the world—and raised the standard of living for hundreds of millions of people —benefitting Canadians in every corner of this country, for decades.

But Brian also knew that you could not take anything for granted. He knew that you had to work every day, and every day after that. And it was in this same spirit that he got involved when NAFTA was threatened a few years ago.

Brian played a double role: he advised my Cabinet and me, and he advocated for Canada among his friends and contacts in the United States’ political and business elite. It mattered a lot to me, but even more so to Canada, that Brian vouched to the American Republican class that they could trust this Liberal prime minister.

And even given partisan political pressure here at home, he always knew that the most important thing was getting a good deal for Canada and for Canadians.

In our many conversations during that difficult time, he was gracious, generous, insightful, and determined to see Canada come out on top.

NAFTA was created as an act of hope. So too was its renegotiation. Hope not just in the continual economic progress of this country, but hope that those values that once held us together—opportunity and fairness for all, livelihoods above gimmicks, country above politics—that those values could still be the thing.

Politics is not an easy life.

Last June, after he walked me around the exhibits at the institute formed in his name, Brian gave a speech, where he said:

“I have learned over the years that history is unconcerned with the trivia and the trash of rumours and gossip floating around Parliament Hill. History is only concerned with the big-ticket items that have shaped the future of Canada.”

Let’s all take a moment to reflect on what we want to do with our time here. To remember that it’s about doing the right things, regardless of the popular sway, things that stand the test of time.

Now, nobody who runs for office doesn’t want to win—Brian Mulroney knew how to win, and he certainly enjoyed it. And he knew, as well as anyone, that there would be criticisms and attacks that stung.

Mila, Caroline, Ben, Mark, Nicholas—you saw it up close and I know that can be hard. But on the big things, you know full well, 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.

Today, we all gather to remember him in this House, and this weekend Canadians across the country will say goodbye. But this will not be the last week Canadians will quote him, remember his example, and be inspired by his service.

It is not just his booming baritone that will forever echo in this chamber, but his values and his leadership.

We are saying goodbye to the man, but never to his belief in putting country above politics, his belief in building opportunities, and his belief in the endless possibilities of Canada.

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