Mulroney – Not the Prime Minister the Mainstream Media Would Have You Believe

Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993, died on February 29, 2024. He was arguably the most controversial Prime Minister this country has ever had.

His Progressive Conservative Party was elected in 1984 with an overwhelming majority of seats, and then re-elected in 1988. By the time he resigned as Prime Minister in 1993, his popularity had shrunk to the point that the Conservative Party was decimated in the subsequent election, winning only two seats.

Mulroney was perhaps best known for negotiating the Free Trade Agreement with the United States and for introducing the GST – both controversial moves in their time. He was also, unfortunately, consistent in supporting the privatization of government assets and the implementation of ‘neo-liberal’ economic policies (i.e. economic capitalism) in Canada and around the world. This philosophy led to his government’s reduction of federal social benefits, the privatization of Crown corporations such as Air Canada and Petro-Canada, and the implementation of policies to increase international trade and business ties. As he famously said at the time, “Canada is open for business.”

His economic capitalism philosophy, coupled with Mulroney’s ongoing desire to develop and maintain good relations with similarly inclined leaders around the world, also had tragic international consequences:

• Mulroney strongly supported then U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s Middle East policies which promoted continued American dominance in that region of the world. As a result, thousands of individuals lost their lives.

Case in point – during the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War, Canadian fighter jets helped to destroy most of Iraq’s navy. Canada also provided refueling and support to coalition bombers throughout much of the war — eventually actively partnering in bombing much of Iraq’s civilian infrastructure, including electricity production, sewage treatment plants, and telecommunications equipment.

• Mulroney was uncritically supportive of the apartheid state of Israel, no matter how egregious its treatment of Palestinians. Even as late as 2023, he continued to argue that Canada should fully support Israel’s fight against Hamas, and that Israel was doing everything it could to protect citizens in Gaza.

At the 1987 Francophonie summit, the 41 nations present voted on a resolution calling for Palestinian self-determination.  Only one country voted against that resolution – Canada.

More than a decade after the United Nations recognized the rights of Palestinian people to self-determination, and a year after the U.N. acknowledged the Palestinian declaration of independence,  Washington finally agreed to low level contact with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).

Canada did not, due in large part to Mulroney’s resistance. This prompted the PLO representative in Ottawa, Abdullah Abdullah to remark “Canada is now the last country in the world, outside of Israel, that does not formally deal with the PLO.

Finally, three months after the U.S. had established its first formal relationship with the PLO, the Canadian government gave in and agreed to accept the principle of self-determination for the Palestinian people and to lift restrictions on dialogue with the PLO – noting that this did not mean recognition of the Palestinian state.

• In 1989, the United States invaded Panama. This illegal invasion was the act of a lone nation. 4,000 innocent Panamanians died. Mulroney supported the invasion.

• International law forbids nations from assassinating the heads of state of other nations. In 1986, Washington, never concerned in the slightest with international law, attempted to assassinate Libya’s president, Muammar Gaddafi. An estimated 60 Libyan casualties resulted. Mulroney was unequivocally supportive of this act of international barbarism.

• For 30 years, Haiti was ruled by one of the world’s worst ever dictators, Francois ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier, followed in turn by his son, John- Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier for a further 15 years. The priorities of both were supporting Haiti’s elites and military at the expense of all other citizens.

When a popular revolt in 1986 finally brought an end to this repressive and cruel regime, Mulroney continued support by sending tens of millions of Canadian tax dollars, promoting “Duvalierism without Duvalier.”  Canada’s involvement with Haiti continued, at least in part acting as a junior partner to the United States.

In the aftermath of the Duvalier regime, Haiti was essentially ruled by the military for the next four years, despite having had an election that produced results which were quickly ignored. Finally, their 1990 election was won by a liberation theology Roman Catholic priest, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Once elected, Aristide implemented a far-reaching progressive platform that resulted in a massive expansion of health care, education, and housing. Haiti’s elite were apoplectic and soon got to work on organizing another military coup, which occurred in 1991. Aristide narrowly escaped assassination and was forced into exile.

The situation in Haiti quickly deteriorated and international pressure began to grow to reinstate Aristide. Refugees from Haiti began to flow to the U.S. and Canada. Despite opposition from the CIA and much of Congress, the U.S. government decided that the solution was to return Aristide to power, and they were determined to get the military and elite of Haiti to accept the plan.

Washington came up with an ingenious proposal. Aristide and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti, Lieutenant-General Raoul Cédras, would sign an accord agreeing to terms that both would accept. It was no easy task. The military and elite would give up power; Aristide would bring an end to his popular and desperately needed program of social reform. Aristide resisted but had little choice.  Mulroney wholeheartedly supported Washington’s ultimatum and actions. Aristide was returned to Haiti with his power severely limited.

• Soon after becoming president of Russia in 1991, Boris Yeltsin implemented ‘nationwide privatization’ – essentially a fire-sale of Russia’s public assets to his insiders and cronies. This had disastrous consequences for the Russian economy, plunging it head-first into an economic contraction more severe than America’s during the great depression. Mulroney strongly supported this sell-off.

• The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank use something called Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) which force countries in need to adopt neo-liberal economic policies and a market economy as conditions to receive funds. Emphasis is placed on expanding trade, reducing labour costs, and repaying debts – thus forcing developing nations to do away with much needed public services, devastating health and education sectors.

SAP ‘loans’ were extended to many developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, with the effect of enriching investors while impoverishing local populations. You guessed it – Mulroney spent not millions but tens of millions of our tax dollars promoting SAPs.

• Canada prides itself now as a champion against apartheid in South Africa. The truth is that for many years, this was not the case. The true champion in the early days of the fight for democracy in South Africa was Cuba, which fought against South African military aggression in Angola and actively worked with the African National Congress in their fight against the apartheid government. Nelson Mandela travelled to Cuba in 1991, thanking Fidel Castro and the Cuban people for supporting the fight against apartheid and colonialism in southern Africa.

Canada’s role over the years in fighting apartheid had been anything but active. When countries such as Norway, Denmark, New Zealand, Brazil, and Argentina had cut off diplomatic ties to South Africa, Canada had refused to do so. To his credit, it was Brian Mulroney shortly after being elected who took an active stance against apartheid in South Africa and pressed internationally for sanctions against the country, facing opposition from the U.S. under Reagan, Britain under Thatcher, and even Canada’s Foreign Affairs Department.  Only four months after his release from prison, Mandela came to Canada to express his thanks for the Canada’s support.

It was a rare bright moment in Mulroney’s less than stellar career – one matched only by his environmental record.

• Mulroney left office under a cloud, due in part to what became known as the Airbus affair, which alleged that a wide-ranging conspiracy involving Progressive Conservative ministers and staffers, and Air Canada management had colluded to have Air Canada purchase Airbus airplanes in return for cash donations to the Conservative party. This was initially denied by Mulroney but it was later revealed that he had personally accepted envelopes of cash from a German businessman in relation to the purchase.

While it may not be acceptable in cultured circles to speak ill of the deceased, let’s not ignore the fact that Mulroney went out of his way to implement and support neo-liberal policies and actions that added to Washington’s exploitation and oppression of the developing world.

 

Daily atmospheric CO₂ [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]

Latest daily total (March 24, 2024): 426.35ppm

One year ago (March 25, 2023): 420.73ppm