NL New
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email
The former prime minister died on Thursday
Jessica Singer – CBC News
Posted: 12 minutes ago
Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is dead at 84. (Adrian Wyld/Canadain Press)
Brian Mulroney, Canada's 18th prime minister, has died at age 84, leaving behind a long-lasting legacy in Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly in laying the foundation for the province's offshore oil industry.
In 1985, in a crowded St. John's hotel ballroom, Mulroney signed the Atlantic Treaty, an agreement that would shape Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore oil industry.
Standing next to him was then-Prime Minister Brian Peckford, who said: “There is no other document signed by Newfoundland that has the ability to truly grow and prosper this province.”
Decades later, as the industry struggled in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mulroney called on the federal government to prevent a collapse.
VIEW | Watch how CBC covered the signing of the Atlantic Treaty in St. John's:
show more
On this day in 1985, CBC in St. John's reported 2:27 on the signing of the Atlantic Treaty
“I would not let COVID-19 and short-sighted thinking destroy Newfoundland and Labrador and the East Coast offshore industry,” Mulroney said in 2020 during a virtual fundraising dinner in support of the province’s Progressive Conservative Party.
“We want a nation of winners here in Canada. But to get there, the federal government will have to step in and help Newfoundland in a dramatic way,” he said at the time.
The former premier had a close relationship with John Crosbie, a man whom Mulroney trusted in several cabinet posts and who was the province's representative in the federal cabinet at the time the agreement was signed in 1985.
Mulroney praised Crosbie at his funeral in 2020, opening his speech by saying, “If a Canadian prime minister is lucky – and I mean really lucky – he will end up with a John Crosbie in his cabinet.”
VIEW | Mulroney praises his close friend and cabinet minister John Crosbie:
show more
Former prime minister tells Crosbie's funeral in St. John's how Crosbie reacted when he learned CBC Newsworld wanted to launch 2:33
Crosbie's influence in Ottawa is largely shaped by his role in the Hibernia offshore project. At his funeral, Mulroney recalled Crosbie telling him in 1990 how important the project was to the province.
Mulroney said Crosbie was right. Hibernia ultimately generated billions of dollars in revenue for the federal and provincial governments.
“As I looked at him that day in the fading sunlight of a beautiful summer afternoon in Ottawa, I just knew he was right. And I knew I had to do it too,” Mulroney said at Crosbie’s funeral.
Mulroney's daughter, Caroline Mulroney, shared the news of his death Thursday afternoon, saying he died peacefully surrounded by his family.
Download our
free CBC News app
to sign up for push notifications for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador.
Click here to visit our landing page
.