Photo: Darren Calabrese The Canadian Press Brian Mulroney, during a ceremony at St. Francis Xavier University, New Brunswick, on June 19, 2023. The former Canadian prime minister died on February 29.
Mia Rabson – The Canadian Press in Ottawa
12:41 p.m.
- Canada
The state funeral of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney will take place on March 23 in Montreal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office announced Tuesday.
Mr. Mulroney died on February 29 in a Florida hospital, following a recent fall at his home in Palm Beach. He was 84 years old.
His remains will be laid in state in state in Ottawa and then in Montreal, before the funeral, it was indicated in a press release. It is not yet clear in which Montreal church the state funeral of the 18th Prime Minister of Canada will take place.
Federal MPs will be able to pay tribute to the former head of state in the House of Commons when they return to Ottawa on March 18, after a two-week break.
Canadians are also invited to sign an online book of condolences.
“Brian Mulroney never stopped working for Canada,” Mr. Trudeau wrote in a press release. He was a defender of the values that unite us as Canadians, and we will always remember him as a force for the common good. His funeral will provide us with the opportunity to pay tribute to his incredible legacy, which will continue to shape our country for many generations. »
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He will be remembered in particular for having attempted, with the agreement of Meech Lake, to have Quebec “with honor and enthusiasm” adhere to the amended Canadian Constitution.
He was also the Canadian prime minister who inaugurated new trade relations with the United States, first with the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement, then with the first version of the Free Trade Agreement. North American exchange.
Mr. Mulroney was also passionate about environmental causes, leading a global treaty to protect the ozone layer and signing a pact with the United States to reduce pollution that causes acid rain.
He is remembered in South Africa for helping to end apartheid as a leader within the Commonwealth group of nations.
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted last week that Mr. Mulroney was the first Western leader to recognize an independent Ukraine in 1991.
Federal protocol provides for state funerals upon the death of current and former governors general and prime ministers, as well as current members of the Council of Ministers.
The Canadian Prime Minister may also grant this honor to “prominent Canadians”, if he deems it appropriate. Thus, the Government of Canada held a state funeral for former leader of the New Democratic Party Ed Broadbent last January.