Family, friends pay poignant tribute at Brian Mulroney's state funeral in Montreal (2024)

Caroline Mulroney looked straight ahead, her eyes fixed on the many dignitaries, lifelong friends, political foes and allies lining the church pews in honour of her father.

Her voice at times cracking with emotion, she recalled how Brian Mulroney strove to balance the two things that mattered most to him  —  family and politics  —  while leading a monumental life defined by humanity.

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“He became a truly great prime minister and a world leader, but to us he was more than that  —  he was a truly great father,” she said during a 15-minute eulogy.

“We are heartbroken by our loss. We adored him,” she later added. “I miss you, daddy.”

Mulroney, who served as Canada’s 18th prime minister from 1984 to 1993, died on Feb. 29 at age 84. During a moving state funeral held in Montreal on Saturday, he was remembered for his unifying approach to politics and as a family man who left an indelible stamp on his country.

A who’s who of current and former Canadian political figures from across the country began arriving at Old Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica early Saturday, trudging through the blustery weather and snow to make their way inside.

About an hour before the service, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police honour guard lifted Mulroney’s Canadian-flag draped casket and carried it out from St. Patrick’s Basilica, where he had been lying in repose, under the careful watch of his four children and many grandchildren.

As church bells rang out, the funeral cortege made the short trip toward Notre-Dame Basilica. Though only those invited were permitted inside, more than 1,200 people had filled the church, representing a diverse array of Canadians from different political backgrounds.

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The guest list included four former prime ministers — Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Joe Clark and Stephen Harper, as well as 12 current provincial premiers or territorial leaders, the leaders of all the major federal opposition parties, and several foreign ambassadors.

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A Quebec-born anglophone embraced by francophones, in the weeks since Mulroney’s death, people from all walks of life have remembered him for his political impact, but also his sincerity and ability to make a personal connection.

On the political stage, Mulroney’s legacy includes the North American Free Trade Agreement signed between Canada, the United States and Mexico and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax. Winning two majority governments as the Progressive Conservative prime minister, Mulroney also twice tried to secure Quebec’s support for the Constitution through the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords.

He is also lauded for his commitment to the environment  —  tackling both acid rain and the protection of the ozone layer  —  and his stance against South African apartheid and support for Nelson Mandela.

Speaking to reporters outside the church Saturday morning, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, a longtime friend, said Mulroney “understood the qualities of leadership” and leaves behind a legacy of “substantial achievements, one after the other.”

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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, for his part, called Mulroney a remarkable politician who led by example by respecting his opponents. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre noted Mulroney came from modest beginnings to become prime minister, “which I think is a symbol of Canada  —  that anyone from anywhere can do anything.”

Addressing the service with a eulogy, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised Mulroney’s ambition and how he was motivated by getting the “big things” right, such as free trade and raising Canadians’ standard of living.

“Yes, he had a grand vision. But the little guy from Baie-Comeau knew how to keep both feet on the ground,” Trudeau said. “We all know how Brian loved to win,” he later added. “Yet his most cherished victories were non-partisan  —  those moments where the true winner was Canada itself.”

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Other eulogies were delivered by Quebec businessman Pierre Karl Péladeau and hockey great Wayne Gretzky, as well as one read on behalf of former U.S. secretary of state James Baker.

The different speeches highlighted Mulroney’s political accomplishments but also touched on his wit and humour, with his daughter joking he loved the spotlight and commanding an audience so much he wanted be buried with a podium.

Focusing on Mulroney’s political journey in his tribute, former Quebec premier Jean Charest described him as a man who wasn’t afraid of taking risks on his way to becoming “one of those rarest of leaders, able to define an era as his own.”

“We live in a world that he helped shape,” Charest said. “We live in country that he helped build.”

The funeral service was punctured by musical performances in both English and French, including a performance by Mulroney’s granddaughter and rousing renditions of When Irish Eyes Are Smiling and the Canadian National Anthem.

Bookending the service, Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine offered his sympathies to all those who are mourning, in particular Mulroney’s wife and partner of 51 years, Mila, and their four children, Caroline, Ben, Mark and Nicolas.

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Lépine said the day marked an opportunity to bring people together in their similarities and differences. He also spoke of the lasting impression Mulroney left on those he knew in his political and personal life.

“All those bonds of friendship and affection we forge throughout our lives do not end with death,” Lépine said.

It was a theme Caroline Mulroney also echoed in her eulogy.

A member of the provincial parliament in Ontario, Mulroney thought back to the advice her father gave when she first decided to enter politics. He stressed she should not waste her political capital on minor issues, she said, but rather focus on the causes that really matter.

“Life is short,” she recalled her father often saying. “But our legacy lives on.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.

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