In Conversation with the Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney

The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Canada’s eighteenth Prime Minister, joined Professor Peter Loewen, director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, to discuss Canada’s role in a changing world and the future of democratic societies. This event was the first in the 2022-23 David Peterson Public Leadership Program Signature Lecture Series. The David Peterson Public Leadership Program Signature Lecture Series is made possible by the generosity of the Honourable David Peterson and Mrs. Shelley Peterson.

About our Speakers:

The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, PC, CC, GOQ, LLD In September 1984, Brian Mulroney led the Progressive Conservative party to the largest victory in Canadian history, becoming Canada's eighteenth Prime Minister. He was re-elected with a majority government four years later thereby becoming the first Canadian Prime Minister in 35 years to win successive majority governments and the first Conservative Prime Minister to do so in 100 years. He resigned in June 1993, having served almost nine years as Prime Minister. His government introduced bold new initiatives such as the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Canada-U.S. Acid Rain Treaty and the Canada-U.S. Arctic Cooperation Agreement. Prime Minister Mulroney's government also introduced a wave of privatizations, a low inflation policy, historic tax reform, extensive deregulation and expenditure reduction policies that continue to be the basis of Canada's impressive economic performance today. In an important attempt to include Quebec in Canada’s amended constitution, Prime Minister Mulroney was the architect of the Meech Lake Accord. His government also created the new federal territory of Nunavut, stretching across vast spaces of the Canadian Artic. Mr. Mulroney also served as Co-Chairman of the United Nations World Summit for Children and his government played leading roles in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa, the creation of Le Sommet de la Francophonie, the Reunification of Germany and the first Gulf War. Mr. Mulroney also served as Co-Chairman of the United Nations World Summit for Children and his government played leading roles in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa, the creation of Le Sommet de la Francophonie, the Reunification of Germany and the first Gulf War.

Mr. Mulroney also served as Co-Chairman of the United Nations World Summit for Children and his government played leading roles in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa, the creation of Le Sommet de la Francophonie, the Reunification of Germany and the first Gulf War. Mr. Mulroney was born in Baie Comeau, Quebec in 1939, to Benedict Mulroney and Irene O’Shea, one of six children. His father was an electrician with the Quebec North Shore Paper Company. Mr. Mulroney graduated from St. Thomas College high school, Chatham, N.B., received his honours undergraduate degree from St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, N.S., and a law degree from Université Laval in Quebec City. He practised law in Montreal and served as President of the Iron Ore Company of Canada before entering politics by becoming Party Leader in 1983 and Leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons, to which he was first elected in 1983 and re-elected in 1984 and 1988. Upon resigning, Mr. Mulroney rejoined the Montreal law firm of Norton Rose Fulbright as Senior Partner. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Quebecor inc. (Montreal), and serves as a director of The Blackstone Group L.P. (New York) and Acreage Holdings Inc. (New York). He also serves as Chairman of the International Advisory Board of Barrick Gold Corporation (Toronto). He is a Strategic Advisor to Teneo Holdings (New York) and to ECN Capital (West Palm Beach). Mr. Mulroney is also a Trustee of the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation and the International Advisory Board of Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) Montréal.

Peter Loewen, Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto Peter Loewen is the Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. Professor Loewen teaches in the Department of Political Science and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He is the Director of PEARL, Associate Director of the Schwartz Reisman Institute, a Senior Fellow at Massey College, and a Fellow with the Public Policy Forum. For 2020-2022, he is a Distinguished Visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Tel Aviv University. From 2016 to 2018, Professor Loewen was the Director of the School of Public Policy & Governance until it was amalgamated with the Munk School of Global Affairs to create the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy.