Mulroney Celebrates 25th Anniversary of ‘Free Trade’

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Brian Mulroney, Canada’s Former Prime Minister, stated that it has been 25 years since he signed a free trade agreement with the United States and now it has changed a generation of Canadians. Mulroney applauded the keystone of his time as the prime minister, on the anniversary of the day it was achieved, i.e. Oct. 3, 1987.

He boasted that even though free trade was considered extremely infamous at the time, it is now visible that it has tripled the country’s trade volume. He claimed that “a generation of Canadians has grown to maturity over the past 25 years under the assumptions of liberal economics and international integration for Canada.” He declared that “this is now a Canada that is confident and ambitious, not just in relationship to the United States, but in relationship to the world.” He stated that “anyone who tells you that personal friendship doesn’t count in the conduct of foreign affairs, that nations only have interests and nothing else, does not have a clue what he’s talking about.”

Mulroney also spoke highly of his successors of all the parties for abiding by the free trade agreement and taking it a step forward each time. He gave credit to former Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, for not paying attention to the political crisis of his time of election and tearing up the policy. He mentioned that “to his credit, Mr. Chrétien, aided by finance minister Martin, used the great economic benefits from free trade and the proceeds of the GST to eliminate the deficit over time and begin the process of paying down the debt in an orderly fashion.”

He declared that now government and industries should collaboratively negotiate any future trade agreements. He mentioned that “our negotiators will need to be nimble and determined as they leverage and exploit our comparative advantages to specific, strategic objectives that will safeguard and enhance vital market access, preserve intellectual property rights and the sanctity of a rules-based trading system.”